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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 




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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 

1 


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GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA, i872-'78. 
J'roiii a riioto^rapli tahen at the time in Canada, 



MY 



CANADIAN JOURNAL 



1872-78 



. EXTRACTS FROM MY LETTERS HOME 
WRITTEN WHILE 
LORD DUFFERIN WAS GOVERNOR-GENERAL 



BY THE 

MARCHIONESS OF DUFFERIN AND AVA 

AUTHOR OF OUR VICE-REGAL LIFE IN INDIA 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM SKETCHES BV LORD DUFFERIN 
PORTRAIT AND MAP 




-X.O 



NEW YORK 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1891 



I . n 



Copyright, 1891, 
By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 

All rights reserved. 



"""^^^ 



4 

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\ 



lei 

4 



TO MY CANADIAN FRIENDS 

THIS LITTLE BOOK 
IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED 

H. D. & A. 




->f-t^p 






PREFACE. 



Encouraged by the kind reception given to my In- 
dian Journal, I have ventured to prepare this earlier one 
for publication ; though I am well aware that the subject 
is less new, and that Canada, and the life a Governor- 
General leads there, are much better knov/n, and offer 
less novelty to most readers, than did a similar record 
of the Viceroy's social life in India. 

Both Journals were sent in the same v/ay, as weekly 
letters to my mother, and the only difference between 
the tvvo is this — that whereas the one was published 
directly I returned from India, the first pages of my 
Canadian diary were v/ritten nearly twenty years ago, 
and it is more than twelve since the book was closed. 




PREFACE. 



Encouraged by the kind reception given to my In- 
dian Journal, I have ventured to prepare this earlier one 
for publication ; though I am well aware that the subject 
is less new, and that Canada, and the life a Governor- 
General leads there, are much better knov/n, and offer 
less novelty to most readers, than did a similar record 
of the Viceroy's social life in India. 

Both Journals were sent in the same v/ay, as weekly 
letters to my mother, and the only difference between 
the tvvo is this — that whereas the one was published 
directly I returned from India, the first pages of my 
Canadian diary were v/ritten nearly twenty years ago, 
and it is more than twelve since the book was closed. 



vi PREFACE. 

In a prosperous and quick-growing country like 
Canada, every year makes a difference, and I know, 
both from hearsay and from pictures I have seen, that 
places I mention as villages have become towns ; that a 
new railway traverses the Northwest, with cities spring- 
ing up everywhere in its wake ; that Ottawa itself has 
quite outgrown my memories of it ; that the contem- 
plated improvements, designed to keep Quebec the most 
beautiful city in the world, have been accomplished; 
and that in almost every part of the Dominion the hand 
of progress has been busy, building, adding to, and im- 
proving. 

My little Journal, therefore, is rather a record of the 
past than a description of the present ; and this I sadly 
feel, as I find in it the names of many who have passed 
away, some leaving never-to-be-filled blanks in their own 
homes, others mourned by a whole nation. 

Nothing has oppressed me more in the revision of 
this Journal than the sense that, from the necessity of 
shortening it as much as possible, I have done scant 
justice to the kindness of many friends, and that some 
of those of whom we saw the most, and who added so 
materially to the happiness of our daily life in Canada, 
are scarcely mentioned in it. The Prime Ministers, for 
instance, who, with their wives, were constantly associ- 
ated with all we did, are only occasionally mentioned, 
though the warm affection we felt for Sir John and 
Lady Macdonald, and for Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie, are 
among the pleasantest recollections of our Canadian life. 

And the same may be said of their colleagues, and of 



PREFACE. vii 

many others, who, if they read these pages, will, I hope, 
remember that they relate but a quarter of the events 
and the pleasures of the years we spent in Canada, and 
give but a few of the names of those with whom we made 
enduring friendships, and with whom we worked and 
played and enjoyed our life in the Dominion. 

I have also been sorry to pass so very lightly over 
the cordiality and the friendliness invariably shown us 
whenever we crossed our borders into the United States; 
for whether we were traveling officially through Chicago 
or Detroit, or went as ordinary visitors to New York or 
Boston, we were always received with a kindness and a 
hospitality which we can never forget. 

I must also say one word as to the silence on all 
political matters maintained in this Journal. I have not 
attempted to record in it any part of the business of the 
Governor-General ; and it is only as they affected our 
movements, or our social arrangements, that I have, 
even distantly, alluded to public events, and then, I fear, 
in a somewhat light and irresponsible spirit. 

The Governor-General and his wife belong to no 
party; and we met with such universal kindness from 
all persons with whom we came in contact in the Do- 
minion, that I, at least, never wanted to remember that 
people differed from each other in their political views, 
and was only too glad to leave politics to those whom 
they necessarily concerned. 

Hariot Dufferin and Ava. 

Clandeboye, August i8, 1891. 



VI 



PREFACE. 



In a prosperous and quick-growing country like 
Canada, every year makes a difference, and I know, 
both from hearsay and from pictures I have seen, that 
places I mention as villages have become towns ; that a 
new railway traverses the Northwest, with cities spring- 
ing up everywhere in its wake ; that Ottawa itself has 
quite outgrown my memories of it ; that the contem- 
plated improvements, designed to keep Quebec the most 
beautiful city in the world, have been accomplished ; 
and that in almost every part of the Dominion the hand 
of progress has been busy, building, adding to, and im- 
proving. 

My little Journal, therefore, is rather a record of the 
past than a description of the present ; and this I sadly 
feel, as I find in it the names of many who have passed 
away, some leaving never-to-be-filled blanks in their own 
homes, others mourned by a whole nation. 

Nothing has oppressed me more in the revision of 
this Journal than the sense that, from the necessity of 
shortening it as much as possible, I have done scant 
justice to the kindness of many friends, and that some 
of those of whom we saw the most, and who added so 
materially to the happiness of our daily life in Canada, 
are scarcely mentioned in it. The Prime Ministers, for 
instance, who, with their wives, were constantly associ- 
ated with all we did, are only occasionally mentioned, 
though the warm affection we felt for Sir John and 
Lady Macdonald, and for Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie, are 
among the pleasantest recollections of our Canadian life. 

And the same may be said of their colleagues, and of 



PREFACE. vii 

many others, who, if they read these pages, will, I hope, 
remember that they relate but a quarter of the events 
and the pleasures of the years we spent in Canada, and 
give but a few of the names of those with whom we made 
enduring friendships, and with whom we worked and 
played and enjoyed our life in the Dominion. 

1 have also been sorry to pass so very lightly over 
the cordiality and the friendliness invariably shown us 
whenever we crossed our borders into the United States; 
for whether we were traveling officially through Chicago 
or Detroit, or went as ordinary visitors to New York or 
Boston, we were always received with a kindness and a 
hospitality which we can never forget. 

I must also say one word as to the silence on all 
political matters maintained in this Journal. I have not 
attempted to record in it any part of the business of the 
Governor-General ; and it is only as they affected our 
movements, or our social arrangements, that I have, 
even distantly, alluded to public events, and then, I fear, 
in a somewhat light and irresponsible spirit. 

The Governor-General and his wife belong to no 
party ; and we met with such universal kindness from 
all persons with whom we came in contact in the Do- 
minion, that I, at least, never wanted to remember that 
people differed from each other in their political views, 
and was only too glad to leave politics to those whom 
they necessarily concerned. 

Hariot Dufferin and Ava. 

Clandeboye, August 1 8, 1891. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

ARRIVAL IN CANADA. 

June-August, 1872. p^^^ 

The Voyage — Reception at Quebec — River steamers on the St. 
Lawrence — Arrival at Ottawa — Rideau Hall — Household ar- 
rangements — Chaudiere Fall — The Lachine Rapids — Quebec 
— Privileges of the Kings of France — Montmorency Falls — 
Riviere du Loup — The Dauntless — Cacouna — Tadousac — The 
Saguenay^Trout-fishing — My first entertainment in Canada 
— An early church — Canoeing and camping on the Marguerite 
River — Our first Canadian salmon I 

CHAPTER n. 

QUEBEC. 

August-September, 1872. 
The Citadel — Setting up house — Our first dinner party — A picnic 
— "Mr. Briggs" — Social duties — The Ursuline Convent — 
Canadian songs — The local institutions — Receptions at the 
Convents — Ball given by Lady Belleau — Universite Laval — 
The Stadacona Hunt — Ball at the Citadel — Departure from 
Quebec 20 

CHAPTER HL 

ONTARIO. 

September-October, 1872. 
Toronto — Hamilton — Grand reception at Toronto — Niagara — The 
Falls — Buffalo — Drawing - room at Toronto — Woodstock — 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

London — Petrolia — Schools at Toronto — The York Pioneers 
— "Not at home" — Ball in the Parliament Buildings — Sun- 
day schools — The children arrive from England . . -37 

CHAPTER IV. 

OTTAWA. 

November, 1872-jANUARY, 1873. 
Ottawa — Rideau Hall — Thanksgiving Day — The first direct tele- 
gram from Australia — Winter costumes — Tobogganing — His 
Excellency's visit to Montreal — Daily routine — Snow-shoeing 
— Canadian celebrities — Frost-bites — Making a Rink — 22° 
below zero — Skating — Sleighing — New Year's Day . . 48 

CHAPTER V. 
MONTREAL. 

January-February, 1873. 
Montreal — Quebec — Citizens' ball — Drawing-room at Montreal — 
Torch-light procession on snow-shoes — The Rink — The Mc- 
Gill College — Ball — R. C. Deaf and Dumb Institutions — 
Fancy dress ball at the Rink — Winter games — Ladies' skating 
matches 59 

CHAPTER VL 

OUR FIRST PARLIAMENTARY SESSION. 

February-May, 1873. 
Arrangements for the season at Ottawa — Cabinet dinner — Open- 
ing of Parliament — The Drawing-room — Theatricals — Parlia- 
mentary dinners — Ball at Rideau Hall — Prince Edward's 
Island joins the Dominion — Birth of a daughter . . -71 

CHAPTER VII. 

ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

June-July, 1873. 
Sir George Carticr— Quebec — Christening of the Queen's godchild 
— Viceregal functions — The Dfiiid — Tadousac — The Godbout 



CONTENTS. xi 

PAGE 

River — The Mingan — Indians in chapel — One of our men 
drowned — Fishing — A day at sea — Gaspe — Tete-a-tite drives 
— Camping out on the Dartmouth River — On the St. John — 
Not enough blankets ! — A strange coincidence — Perce — Cur- 
ing fish — Paspediac — Dalhousie — Chatham— Newcastle . 83 



CHAPTER VIII. 
THE MARITIME PROVINCES. 

July-August, 1873. 

Prince Edward's Island — Charlotte Town — Ball in the Senate 
Chamber — Pictou coal mines — Louisburg — Sydney — Fog — 
Landing at Halifax, N. S. — Dinner at Government House — 
Party feeling — McNab's Island — Lobster-spearing — Lord 
Dufferin's speech at the Club — Ball in the Parliament Build- 
ings — Ball on H. M. %. Royal Alfred — Industrial homes — Bay 
of Fundy — St. John, N. B. — Hotel life — Torch-light proces- 
sion — Ball in the theatre — Voyage up the St. John River — 
Fredericton — Woodstock — Grand Falls — Tadousac . . loi 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE FALL. 

September-December, 1873. 

Bathing at Tadousac — Quebec — Miss Florence Lees — Football — 
Convents — Paper chase — Visitors — The Stadacona Races — 
Ball at the Citadel — Montreal — Ottawa — Debate on the ad- 
dress — Resignation of Sir John Macdonald's cabinet — Curl- 
ing — Mr. Mackenzie, the new Premier — Christmas . . 123 

CHAPTER X. 
OUR SECOND SEASON AT OTTAWA. 

January-June, 1874. 

The New Year's reception — Tableaux — Only 10° of frost ! — The 
institutions of Ottawa — An ice storm — Concert — Montreal — 



xii CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Fancy dress ball in the Rink — -Ottawa — Curling match — A 
winter's drive — Caves — Electrical experiments — Opening of 
Parliament — Charles Kingsley — Laurence Oliphant — Citi- 
zens' ball in the Senate Chamber — Lumber mills — The 
Queen's Birthday — Excursions 137 



CHAPTER XL 

FISHING ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

June-July, 1874. 

Quebec — Gaspe — Mr. Reynolds's camp on the York River — Our 
camp on the St. John River — Dominion Day — " The Count- 
ess's Pool " — A fog — Tadousac — Up the Saguenay — Chicou- 
timi — An Indian passenger — Murray Bay — The St. Anne 
Falls — Our cook's family 156 

CHAPTER XH. 

ONTARIO AND THE LAKES. 

July-September, 1874. 

Trois Rivieres — Toronto — Rival hotels — Newmarket — Barrie — 
Lake Simcoe — The Narrows — Orillia — Ojibbeway Indians 
— Muskoka Lake — Bracebridge — Summit House — Settlers — 
Parry Sound — Collingwood — Owen Sound — Manitoulin In- 
dians — Sault Ste. Marie — Michipicoten — Nipigon — A port- 
age — Camping out — Lake Superior— Silver Islet — Prince Ar- 
thur's Landing — Indians at Shebandowan — Kamanistiqwa 
River — Lake Michigan — Chicago — The park — The Palmer 
House — Reception at the Exchange — The boulevards — The 
shops — Detroit — Sarnia — Lake Huron — Goderich — Salt 
works — Stratford — Guelph — Miss Macpherson's Home— 
Brantford— The Six Nations — Mr. George Brown's farm 
— Woodstock — London — Fire at Simcoe — St. Catherine's — 
Swing bridge over the Niagara River — The Falls — Mr. 
Plumb's house — Toronto — Lord Dufferin's speech at the club 
— Whitby — Port Hope— Coburg — Iron mine — Belleville — Dr. 
Palmer's Deaf and Dumb Institution — Kingston — Brockville 
— Home again at Ottawa 170 



CONTENTS, xiii 

CHAPTER XIII. 

WINTER AND SPRING. 

September, 1874-MAY, 1875. ^^^^ 

The Dominion Rifle Match — New York — The theatres and parks 
— Entertainments — Drive to ** Sleepy Hollow" — Lord Duf- 
ferin goes to Washington — The Normal School — Night jour- 
ney to Boston — Longfellow's house— Club dinner — A Uni- 
versalist Church — Return to Ottawa — The steeple chase — 
Visitors — An ideal Christmas Day — Children's tableaux — 
Lord Dufferin's visit to Montreal — Curling — Debate on Riel 
— Birth and Christening of a son — Home on short leave — 
Delayed by ice and fog 217 

CHAPTER XIV. 

AN UNEVENTFUL SEASON. 

October, 1875-JuLY, 1876, 
R. M. S. Prussian — Ottawa — Skating — A rainy Christmas Day — 
— Plays — Married vs. Bachelors — Montreal — Ottawa — Open- 
ing of Parliament — Fancy dress balls — Theatricals — Ice block 
on the Rideau — Expedition up the Le Lievre — Quebec — After 
the fire — Lord Dufferin's speech — Procession of Jean Baptiste 
— Gaspe — Fishing on the York River — Archie's birthday — 
His departure for school — Ottawa — Preparations for the 
Grand Tour 235 

CHAPTER XV. 

ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST. 

August-September, 1876. 
Our special train — A reporter and his request — Five o'clock tea 
—Chicago— Omaha— The Platte Valley— The Rocky Plains 
— Cheyenne — The Alkali Plains — The Rocky Mountains — 
Ogden — Cape Horn — Traveling with a murderer — San Fran- 
cisco—The Cliff House— A Killyleagh friend— H. M. S. Ame- 
thyst — The Pacific — Esquimault — ^Victoria — Party feeling — 
Busy days — Our Chinese cook and his wife — Regatta — Na- 
naimo — Bute Inlet — Safety Harbor — Metlacatlah — Success- 



xiv CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

ful missionary efforts — Fort Simpson — Indian monuments — 
Queen Charlotte's Islands — Alert Bay — Burrard's Inlet — A 
heavy mail 257 



CHAPTER XVI. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CALIFORNIA, AND SALT LAKE CITY. 

September-October, 1876. 
A forest giant — New Westminster — A speech in many tongues — 
The Fraser River — Yale — Hell's Gate — An Indian escort — 
Lytton — Indian grave — Mr. Cornwall's — Kamloops — A " Pow- 
Wow" — Down the Thompson River — Perilous drive — Victoria 
— Strange servants — Ball — Esquimault — Dry dock — A busy 
day — At sea — San Francisco — Good-by to H. M. S. Amethyst 
— A 'Frisco merchant's country house — A Califomian ball — 
Giving names — The Chinese theatre — Joss House — The re- 
turn journey — Salt Lake City — Mormon society — Cheyenne — 
Denver — Hotel manners— Oregon Bill — St. Louis — Toronto, 2<^j'i 

CHAPTER XVII. 

OUR FIFTH WINTER AND SUMMER IN CANADA. 

October, 1876-JuLY, 1877. 
Toronto— Lord Dufferin starts for Philadelphia— Montreal— Otta- 
wa— Tom Thumb— Sermon before the service— Christmas fes- 
tivities — Toronto— Speeches— Ottawa — Theatricals — Presen- 
tation by the cabmen — Procession in honor of Pope Leo XIII 
—Distinguished visitors— Quebec— In camp— Fishing— Ta- 
dousac 324 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE NORTH-WEST. 

August, 1877. 

In the cars — St. Paul — Minneapolis — Minnehaha Falls — Across 

the prairie— The Red River — Greetings on the way — The 

Frontier — Fort Garry — Winnipeg — " Silver Heights " — An 

Indian's idea of religion — St. Boniface — The Hudson's Bay 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE 

store — Lassoing — Sioux Indians — Ball at Winnipeg — A Red 
River cart — The Rockwood Penitentiary — St. Andrew's — Lit- 
tle Stone Fort — Selkirk — The Indian reserve — Winnipeg — 
Camping out — Mennonite settlement — A member of the local 
Parliament 338 

CHAPTER XIX. 
MANITOBA. 

August-October, 1877. 

Insect life on the prairie — Half-breeds — St. Andrevs^'s — Pitching 
camp — On the Dawson route — A " corduroy " road — The 
North-West Angle — Lake of the Woods — Canoeing on the 
Winnipeg River — The White Dog Mission — Portages — Rap- 
ids — Fort Alexander — An Indian grave — Lake Winnipeg — 
S. S. Colville — The Saskatchewan — The first railway in the 
North-West — Flour ;i^5 a bag ! — Stone Fort — Gimla, the Ice- 
landic settlement — Winnipeg — An Indian " Lodge " — Lake 
Manitoba — Duck-shooting — Portage La Prairie — Productive 
land — Want of good drinking-water — Silver Heights — The 
Canadian Pacific Railway — Farewell dejeuner and speeches at 
Winnipeg — A happy family — The Military College, Kingston 
— Back to Ottawa 366 

CHAPTER XX. 

OUR LAST SEASON AT OTTAWA AND MONTREAL. 

October, 1877-JuNE, 1878. 

Earthquake — Christmas visitors — Bad accident — Tobogganing — 
—Visit to Montreal— The Windsor Hotel— The McKay In- 
stitution — Villa Maria Convent— Ball — McGill College — 
Military display at the theatre — Convent of the Sacred Heart 
— Mount Royal Park — Farewell dinner — The Art Association 
Conversazione — Sickness at Ottawa — Death of Mr. Ward — 
"Sweethearts" — A musical afternoon with the House of 
Commons — Farewell address from both Houses of Parlia- 
ment — Fancy bazaar — The Phonograph — The General Hos- 
pital, Montreal — The Queen's Birthday Review — Good-by at 
Ottawa — The children leave for England .... 399 



xvi CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS, AND LAST DAYS IN CANADA. 

Tune-August, 1878. 

PAGE 

Gaspe — "Tinker" — Riots at Quebec — Our rooms occupied by 
soldiers — Island of Orleans — Farewell address from the Que- 
bec Parliament — Visit to Boston — A New England home — 
A literary dinner party — Lord Dufferin takes his degree at the 
Harvard University — I ongfellow — Mr. Adams — Quebec — A 
fog on the St. Lawrence — Fishing on the Metapediac — Run 
to Campbell Town — Rimouski — Bic — Fishing — Last visit to 
Tadousac — The 12th of July — The Maine Press Association 
— Sillery — The Roman Catholic bishops — Sir Edward Thorn- 
ton's visit — Theatricals on the Island of Orleans — The Mont- 
morency Falls — Expedition to the Chaudiere Falls — Danville 
— Sherbrooke — Lennoxville — Lake Massiwippi — Compton — 
Stanstead — Lake Memphremagog — Magog — Bolton — Water- 
loo — Granby — St. John's — Lake Champlain — Lake George — 
Juvenile coachman at Fort Henry — Good-by .... 419 

Lord Dufferin's Last Days in Canada .... 450 

Index 453 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



v^ Lord Dufferin, Governor - General of Canada, 

i872-'78 frontispiece ^ 

{From a photograph taken at the time in Canada.) 

^ Indian Tents /. v 

v^OuR House and the Hotel, Tadousac . . . to face p. 94__. 

v' Gaspe " 157— 

N/ Our Hut (on the St. John River) . . . . /?. 162 " 

- The Mouth of the Red River and Lake Win- 
nipeg to face p. 2^2 ' 

-■ Rat Portage /. 376 

X Indian Grave at Fort Alexander .... /. 380 

N La Roche Percee to face p. 392 "^ 

■^ Lady Dufferin " 423 

{Frotn a sketch by Lord D2ifferin,~) 

\ MAP at end 



MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. 

1872-1878. 



CHAPTER I. 

ARRIVAL IN CANADA. 

S. S. '■'■Prussian''' : Friday^ June 14, 1 81 2. — Ugh! 
Ugh ! horrid ! Very rough ; everybody ill except the 
wretched baby, Basil, who is perfectly well, but can get 
no one to dress him, and is handed about, unwashed, to 
engineers, waiters, to any one who can stand. 

Monday^ lyth. — The ship rolling from side to side till 
one's back aches. Such a noise of splashing and dash- 
ing and falling about, and such fears lest my infants 
should follow the example of my toothbrush, and come 
flying across the room ! To add to my fears, two steer- 
age passengers came to D. in the night, to inquire 
whether he thought there was any danger, and if the 
captain might not be asked to put into port until it be- 
came calmer. In the morning these men were found 
sleeping with life-belts on. 

Wednesday, igth. — We are much better now, and quite 
enjoy our meals, which D. and I have in a cabin by our- 
selves. 

We are also able to look about, and find that there 
are 107 " street Arabs" on board, brought out by a saint 



2 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. i 

of a woman, who, although very sick and miserable her- 
self, sings to them, reads out loud, goes down into the 
steerage, sees them to bed, and performs many other try- 
ing offices in the most unselfish manner. Miss Mac- 
pherson pays her own passage and expenses. Each child 
costs ;£"io to bring out, and will eventually be adopted 
into a Canadian family, where it will have a happy home. 
This seems to be an excellent charity. 

Sunday^ 2jd. — A beautiful day — a hot sun and a per- 
fectly calm sea. Our parasols and shady hats have come 
out for the first time, and Hermie and Basil* are being 
made very much of by the convalescent passengers. 
Preparations are making for our arrival at Quebec ; and, 
as it has been discovered that there is no Canadian flag 
on board, my maid, Mrs. Dent, is busily engaged in try- 
ing to manufacture one. Nobody is quite sure what it 
is, but all suppose that there must be a beaver and a 
maple-leaf in it. I sincerely hope that no great herald 
will be waiting to receive us. 

We have attended a meeting in the steerage, where 
some of the Canadian passengers talked to the emigrants 
about the country they are going to. D. also spoke, and 
told them that in Canada they need never complain, as 
he had heard one of them do, " that he had too many 
children," for that there the more they had the better. 
An enthusiastic young man on hearing this slapped D. 
on the back and said, "That is just what I have been 
telling Emily." 

Quebec : Tuesday, 2^th. — A lovely morning. We anch- 
ored early, but did not land till ten, when the Minis- 
ters, Lieutenant-Governor, and several other officials, 
came on board, and with them we went ashore. A salute 
was fired from the citadel as D. stepped on land, and we 

* My youngest children. 



JUNE 1872 ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC AND OTTAWA. ^ 

walked through lines of troops to a carriage-and-four, in 
which we drove to Spencer Wood, the Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor's residence. We passed through Quebec, up a very 
steep hill. The road was rough, and it was extremely hot 
and dusty. I could not see the view as we were driving 
away from the river, and also, I was much occupied in 
looking at the people who filled the streets ; but when 
we got to Spencer Wood we were charmed with it, and it 
looks right down upon the St. Lawrence. At three 
o'clock D. was sworn in as Governor-General of Canada, 
and received some addresses of welcome, — but, as I re- 
mained quiet in my country retreat, I can tell you noth- 
ing of the ceremony. Our host is Sir Narcisse Belleau ; 
his wife is a nice quiet little Frenchwoman, and he is 
pleasant and kind. There was a dinner in the evening, — 
but I don't feel that I have seen enough of any of the 
guests to tell you about them to-day, except that the 
Prime Minister, Sir John Macdonald, is the image of 
Dizzy. 

Wednesday, 26th. — The papers give a most amusing 
description of D., stating his apparent weight and height. 
I am very flatteringly described, though the ignorant 
male writer speaks slightingly of my dress as being a 
" plain blue silk," whereas it was in reality excessively 
smart, and had caused me infinite trouble and anxiety ! 
However, I had the satisfaction of hearing from Lady 
Harriet Fletcher * that the ladies knew better, and had 
appreciated it. 

Lady Harriet and I had a drive about the old town, 
and I was quite delighted with it. The views are per- 
fectly lovely, and it would be such a charming place to 
live in, — if only we had a house here ! 

* Daughter of the Earl of Romney, wife of Lord Dufferin's Mili- 
tary Secretary. 



4 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. I 

In the afternoon we started for Ottawa in a magnifi- 
cent river-steamer with four stories and streets of cab- 
ins, and a grand table ahote on board. We sat on deck 
and enjoyed ourselves immensely as we went up the St. 
Lawrence. I can not tell you what a lovely voyage this 
was! — so lovely that I can not believe that we did it of 
necessity, and not for pleasure only. 

Thursday, 2ith. — We arrived at Ottawa, the first view 
of which is magnificent ; but once landed there was no 
time to look at anything ! There were nine addresses 
to be listened to, and after them we drove off to our 
new home! . . . We have been so very enthusiastic 
about everything hitherto that the first sight of Rideau 
Hall did lower our spirits just a little ! The road to it 
is rough and ugly, the house appears to me to be at the 
land's end, and there is no view whatever from it, though 
it is near the river — and we have come through hundreds 
of miles of splendid scenery to get to it ! Then I have 
never lived in a Government House before, and the in- 
evitable bare tables and ornamentless rooms have a de- 
pressing effect : for the first time I realize that I have 
left my own home for many years, — and this is its sub- 
stitute ! 

Friday, 28th. — Please forget the above growl. The 
morning has brought more cheerful reflections. We 
are not intended to live here at midsummer, and I dare 
say that in winter this place looks lovely ! Our house 
is, they say, very warm and comfortable, and the Houses 
of Parliament — which, after all, I do see from my win- 
dows — are very beautiful. And I can cover up the 
tables and supply the homey look which at present is 
wanting — so why did I grumble ? We have driven in 
state through the town, and have visited the Govern- 
ment buildings. I was delighted with the Senate, and 
with the Library — a large, circular room. When the 



JULY i£72 HOUSEHOLD ARRANGEMENTS. 5 

House is sitting I may come and listen to debates, but 
the Governor-General may not ! 

The weather is extremely hot, and we are not going 
to remain here. D. goes to-morrow to inspect militia at 
Prescott, and I meet him there two days later. 

Monday^ July ist. — We went for a row on the river 
in the evening, which was delicious. It was very pretty ; 
and we had a breath of fresh air, and got out of a per- 
spiration for the first time for a week ! 

We have been busy making a number of household 
arrangements. I have chosen my nurseries ; and it has 
been decided to add a story to the little house in the 
garden in which the Fletchers will live, — for they have 
a number of children too. The non-arrival of all our 
heavy luggage has been an anxiety ; so far our vicere- 
gal establishment possesses about six plates and as many 
cracked teacups ; and our own supply of china, plate, 
and linen seems to be trying to see the country, and to 
travel for pleasure, instead of coming and settling down 
here as it should. 

Perhaps you may wonder where my children are all 
this time. The three elder ones are still in Europe, try- 
ing to learn a little French, and Hermione and Basil, 
who came out with us, are now at Riviere du Loup, 
where we have taken a house for the summer. There, 
also, are the Fletcher children. Colonel * and Lady 
Harriet Fletcher came out to Canada the mail before we 
did, and made all arrangements for us and for them- 
selves. He is the Military Secretary. We have two 
very nice A. D. C.s at present. One of them was with 
Lord Lisgar, and has kindly volunteered to stay and 
help us for a time. The other is Mr. Coulson, who is 
regularly appointed, and who will remain even after 

* The late Colonel Fletcher, C. M. G,, Scots Fusilier Guards. 



6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. I 

Fred comes out. Please tell the latter that I find that 
an A. D. C. is a charming institution. These two ask me 
" if I will drive," " or walk," " or boat," or " if I want 
anything from the town " ; and if I turn my head, they 
find out what I am looking for, and get it for me. So 
Fred need not hope to get off any of his duties through 
my ignorance of them ! 

D. is very happy, and is much taken w4th the coun- 
try and the people ; and all here seem pleased with him. 
I think that I am getting on pretty well too, — though I 
say it that should be silent in the matter ; and the pa- 
pers, who talk about us a good deal, lay great stress on 
my not being affected — a negative virtue which I may 
mention without appearing too conceited ! 

My attentive A. D. C.s have taken me to see the Chau- 
diere Fall. It is close to Ottawa, and is very beautiful. 
There is a mass of water which appears to fall in three 
different directions into the same pool, and a great 
smoke of foam rises from the splash; it looks just like 
a big caldron. Close to it is a saw-mill. The trunks 
of forest-trees are carried by the stream to the door of 
the mill, where they are caught by chains and slowly 
dragged into the teeth of a bundle of saws. After pass- 
ing through these, the trees fall in planks, which are 
quickly taken up by another machine to have their sides 
neatly trimmed. As they pass, a man marks them with 
a pencil according to their quality. 

After this we *' ran the slide," which w^as very excit- 
ing. The " slide " is a long incline of water, divided in- 
to a series of small waterfalls, and is the artificial road 
by which the timber from the higher levels is brought 
down into the St. Lawrence. The wood is made up into 
rafts, and you sit upon these while they slip down the 
incline. It looks rather alarming to see one of these 
great monsters go headlong into the water at the foot 



July 1872 RUNNING THE RAPIDS. 7 

of each fall ; but, although I got on board with my heart 
in my mouth, I liked it extremely, and when I found my- 
self safe on the calm level of the Ottawa, I would gladly 
have recommenced the journey had it been possible : but 
when one has slid down this steep hill of water to the 
river, one is miles away from the starting-point, and has 
to go home another way. The rafts and the quantities 
of wood lying about in all directions are the most curi- 
ous sights here, but I see no really fine timber growing 
in this neighborhood. 

Wednesday^ Sd. — I left Ottawa early, and met D. at 
Prescott, He had been inspecting volunteer camps at 
Kingston and Prescott, and is to see another at Laprai- 
rie to-morrow. 

We shot the rapids. The rapids are places where 
there is a tremendous stream rushing over a rocky de- 
scent. When the steamer comes to them the engine is 
stopped, and the current carries the vessel over the 
broken water at a great rate. If the pilot were to make 
a mistake, or to lose command of the ship, she would be 
wrecked. The rapids look like a stormy sea, but you do 
not go up and down in them, and rather feel as though 
the vessel were being buffeted about, and as if it were 
striking some hard substance. The worst rapid is called 
the " Lachine," and that does look rather alarming. The 
rapids are all down hill, and going at such a great pace 
the pilot * appears to be steering straight upon some 
fearful rock, peeping above water, when just as you ex- 
pect the crash, the stream takes the vessel and carries 
her clear of the danger. 

We were met at Montreal by the Mayor and a guard 
of honor. 

* The pilot on this occasion was " Old Baptiste," who took us down 
a channel he had himself first found in 1842. 



8 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. i 

Quebec : Friday, ^th. — I saw a little of Montreal yes- 
terday, but not enough to warrant a description. We 
went to a little country place, where we had strawber- 
ries and cream under the trees, and when I returned to 
the hotel I received visitors. I find Canadian society 
very easy to get on with : the people talk, and they are 
very simple and natural, and willing to be pleased ; so 
that receiving seventy or eighty total strangers is 
made a pleasant instead of an arduous task, — as it 
might be. 

D. was occupied all day inspecting a camp, and in 
receiving addresses. 

We dined early, and went on board the steamer for 
Quebec. There were 800 passengers, most of them lying 
about on the floors ; but we had comfortable cabins, and 
slept well all night. The only new things we saw on 
this journey were the fire-flies; they were so numerous 
on the wooded banks of the river that their lights looked 
like those of a distant town. 

Saturday, 6th. — The Governor-General has some of 
the privileges of the old kings of France, and one of 
them is that he has the right to enter the cloistered con- 
vents. In his train, therefore, we have been to the Ursu- 
lines and to the Hotel-Dieu. The Vicar-General went 
with us, and at each convent, after inspecting the ordi- 
nary arrangements of the house, we went into a room 
where the nuns were arranged in rows, and where we 
sat on thrones on a dais. In a clever, easy way the 
Vicar inaugurated a kind of general conversation about 
the convent, and the nuns laughed at his little jokes, 
and answered any questions put to them. We were 
greatly struck by their manners, so pleasant and cheer- 
ful, without the slightest affectation or shyness. 

Monday, 8th. — We made an expedition to the Mont- 
morency Falls. D. went in the Dauntless, a thirty-six- 



JULY 1872 THE '' DAUNTLESSr g 

ton yacht which he has bought, and we rowed in a big 
boat. The fall is six miles from Quebec. The day was 
very fine, and as we saw them from the river the shin- 
ing tin roofs of the town looked beautiful in the sun- 
shine. 

The first view of the fall is spoiled by the quantity 
of timber at its base. The bay is crammed with stacks 
of boards and wood, piled up in every way, and there are 
saw-mills hard at work ; but when you get close enough 
to see it, the Montmorency is really beautiful. It is 170 
feet high — higher than Niagara — and it falls perfectly 
straight down into the earth, clouds of spray rising up 
in front of it. The water does not appear to rush on as 
in most waterfalls, and it is supposed that it dives into 
the ground, and comes out elsewhere. 

We had brought provisions with us, so we lighted a 
fire, cooked an excellent lunch, and afterward made tea. 
In the cool of the evening we rowed back to Quebec, 
and got on board the steamer for Riviere du Loup. 
This is the fashionable time for going to the seaside, so 
the boats are very full. 

Riviere du Loup : Tuesday, gth. — Our house here is a 
nice little cottage, but it is a long way from the sea, and 
I don't think that we shall care to shut ourselves up in it 
for long. We are impatient to see more of the country 
and the people, and if only we can find a house at Que- 
bec we shall go there ; for the more we see of that place, 
the more we like it. 

Wednesday, loth, — After getting my letters ready 
for the mail we set out for the yacht. The day was not 
very good, but there was a nice breeze, and although the 
Fletchers and I felt a little uncomfortable at first, we all 
got over it and enjoyed ourselves very much. H. E. was 
delighted with the Dauntless. His sailors are not very 
smart, but he is looking forward to the arrival of Ham- 



I O MV CJJVA DIA N JO URN A L. ch. i 

mond,* who will soon give it the air of an English 
yackt. The Dauntless has a well to sit in, and a large 
but rather low cabin. She is one of the ^at yachts with 
a sliding keel. D. steered back into the harbor before 
ao admiring crowd just arrived by the steamer. An 
American on the shore called out, ''Well, Governor, you 
seem to be used to this kind of work." 

Thursday, nth. — Dr. Campbell, of Montreal, came 
here to offer D. some salmon-fishing. He has accepted 
for two days, and goes next Wednesday, the 17th — 
Colonel Fletcher with him. They will live in a camp, 
and be eaten by black flies and mosquitoes. The former 
have a sharp lance, which they insert under the skin. 
You do not feel the bite at the time, but it bleeds freely 
and mflames next day. While fishing, you keep your 
face and neck covered with a preparation which the flies 
dislike. Dr. Campbell gave an exciting account of the 
fishing, and how the fisherman runs along the banks as 
fast as he can, while the salmon rushes down the rapids. 
I think / should like to go too — but ladies are not in- 
vited. 

Saturday, 20th. — H. E. returned in the evening. He 
enjoyed his trip very much, though the salmon were 
scarce, and he only caught five trout. Dr. Campbell, 
Mr. Urquhart, Colonel Fletcher, and himself, were the 
party. Mr. Urquhart attended to the dinner, and was 
"most anxious" about it, — it consisted of salmon and 
cold beef, and was very good ; still, it does not sound as 
if it required immense thought and preparation. 

Mo?iday, 22d. — Colonel Fletcher has gone off to see 
houses at Quebec. 

In the afternoon we drove to Cacouna, a more fash- 
ionable watering-place than this, where there is a large 



An English sailor, 



JULYI872 TADOUSAC, II 

hotel frequented by Americans, who amuse themselves 
by dressing four times a day. 

Wednesday^ 24th. — D. and I started in the afternoon 
for Tadousac. It was quite dark when we got there, 
after two hours in the steamer, and we could only see 
that we drove up a most dangerous road. It was a 
wooden ramp, just wide enough for the carriage, and 
with a little precipice on each side. It led to the hotel, 
which we found extremely clean and comfortable. I 
think they manage these things very well in Canada. 
There is a complete absence of pretense. The furniture 
is very plain : just a strip of carpet in one's bedroom, 
common-looking French beds, washing-stand and chest 
of drawers — no curtains anywhere — the only luxury 
being extreme cleanliness. There is a table d 'hote where 
all dine — servants at the same table as the other guests 
- — and the food is very good. We had private rooms 
and private meals, but no one else would think of such a 
thing. The same simplicity strikes me as characteristic 
of the people. They do not pretend to be fine or smart, 
or anything but what they are ; they believe every word 
you say, and take all polite exaggerations au pied de la 
lettre. They are exceedingly friendly and kind-hearted, 
so that their saying what they think does not lead to 
any uncomfortable speeches. 

Tadousac is the oldest, but I should think the smallest, 
place in the Dominion. Not only as tourists, but as 
sailors, we are delighted with it. The hotel is situ- 
ated in the curve of a lovely bay, with a nice sandy 
beach all round it. There are rocky walks of a most 
amusing description for the walker, a good anchorage 
for the yachtsman, and as all the fishing is up the 
Saguenay, and ,this place is at its mouth, there is sport 
for the sportsman. There are white porpoises and seals, 
and occasional whales to be seen rolling and jumping 



12 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. i 

about — and altogether we thought the place most at- 
tractive, and have some idea of building a house here 
for the summer. 

Thursday^ 2^th. — We got up at six to go out fishing, 
and drove down to the pier, where we found Mr. Rad- 
ford, a resident here, who had promised to chaperon us 
to the fishing-ground. It was rather too stormy, but we 
started nevertheless in the yacht, followed by two row- 
boats. We had a charming sail, a beautiful coast to 
look at, and white porpoises and seals appearing in the 
water to amuse us. When we reached the Bergeron we 
anchored, and went on shore to prepare our fishing-rods. 
I was just being instructed in the art of throwing the 
fly, and was standing up in the row-boat, lashing the 
water with my line, when H. E. called out from the other 
boat, " Put up your rod, and come and save the ship." 
The yacht had dragged her anchor, and was fast going 
on the rocks. We got on board as quickly as we could, 
fastened tow-ropes to the two row-boats, and with great 
difficulty got her out of the current ; her sails filled, and 
off we went. " Home," said His Excellency — and in 
fact it had come on to blow too hard for fishing, as the 
trout go into deep water when the waves are too much 
for them. We had a very rough sail back to Tadousac, 
but rather enjoyed it. We reached the hotel in time for 
lunch, and settled with our friend to get up at five next 
day and try again. 

In the afternoon we took a walk, and were quite 
charmed with Tadousac. It is at the mouth of the 
Saguenay River, and the hotel is built close to the water, 
above a beautiful bay. Our walk was a climb, and yet 
it was not too fatiguing; the rocks are smooth, with no 
sharp points, and tufts and shrubs grow in the inter- 
stices, so that there is always something to catch hold 
of if you slip. When we got home, Mr. Radford brought 



JULY i872 THE SAGUENAY, 1 3 

two Rice Lake canoes, and D. tried paddling in one, 
while I went out in the other. 

Friday^ 26th. — Called at 5 a. m., with the information 
that the day was very favorable for fishing. We were 
at the wharf at six — a beautiful morning. There were 
two row-boats ready for us, and we set off, up the Sa- 
guenay. 

The river is like a rift in a rocky mountain, and it 
was very pretty in the early morning rowing along it ; 
great cliffs on each side, the river every now and then 
spreading out into a bay, and looking like a lake, the 
entrance quite hidden by projecting rocks. We had a 
three-hours' row, and arrived at St. Etienne, a feeding- 
ground of the trout. I again began to throw my fly, 
and soon became quite expert at it. I caught sixteen, 
and D. nineteen, and after my arm ached Mr. Radford 
took my rod and caught four ; so our bag was a pretty 
good one. 

We lunched on the rocks, and afterward got on board 
and sailed nearly the whole way home till it began to rain, 
then the wind fell, so we took to our row-boats and got 
back in time for dinner. Our long day was not over yet. 
The young ladies of Tadousac had got up a charity con- 
cert, which we attended : it was in the hotel, and between 
the songs there were some pretty tableaux. When all was 
over I was glad to return to my dear bed which I had left 
so early in the morning. 

Saturday^ 2yth. — Another lovely day. We like Ta- 
dousac so much that we have actually chosen a site, and 
are going to build a wooden house here for next year. 
The air is delicious, and we feel so well and cheerful ! 

After breakfast we walked to an Indian hut to see a 
young bear they had found on the hills. He was very 
little and very unamiable-looking. The Indian women 
are very dark and ugly, and have their hair tied up in 



14 . MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH- I 

little bags on each side of their faces. D. next took me 
out in a canoe, and we had a talk with the authorities 
about our site. At two we got on board the steamer, 
and returned to Riviere du Loup. 

Colonel and Lady Harriet Fletcher came down to 
meet us, and we hear from him that the artillery quar- 
ters at Quebec are more likely to suit us than any other 
house we can get this year. D. will go and see them. 

Monday^ 2pth. — Directly after breakfast Lady H. and 
her governess and children came in to help me to prepare 
for my first Canadian entertainment ! Unfortunately, D. 
will not be at it, as he has gone off to Quebec. Of course 
we have small means here of doing anything grand — no 
ornaments at all ; thick, white earthenware cups, lodg- 
ing-house furniture, etc., and only wild flowers to be had. 
With them we determined to do a great deal. We got 
moss and ferns, wild roses and red berries ; called in 
soup-plates, finger-glasses, and bark canoes; and had in 
the drawing-room fourteen bouquets — eight on brackets 
round the walls, and one on each table. Then we put 
moss on the chimney-piece and filled it with bright flow- 
ers, and covered the board in front of the fireplace with 
fir-branches, etc. Opposite the drawing-room is the best 
bedroom. We carried out the bed, arranged the fireplace 
in the same way, and had tables with tea, coffee, iced milk, 
champagne cup and cakes there. On one side of our house 
we had croquet, and on the other chairs, and I received 
my company at four o'clock in the chair department. 

The arrangements took us the whole morning, and 
amused us very much ; the only drawback was that we 
had no man, not even an aide-de-camp! 

Luckily, the day was splendid. We sat ourselves 
upon the lawn, and soon the first people came. The 
second carriage which arrived contained three priests 
with French names ! They had no cards, and Nowell, 



JU1YI872 MY FIRST ENTERTAINMENT. 15 

our English servant, whom I had told to be very particu- 
lar about announcing the names clearly, remembering 
my instructions, and unable to pronounce them, stopped 
my guests outside and made them write their names on 
a piece of paper. One of them, a very jolly Irishman, 
asked, "Are you His Excellency's aide-de-camp ?" 

When all had arrived a good game of croquet was 
got up, and the people who did not play sat on the lawn 
and talked. I had over thirty, and they admired our 
decorations very much. 

The moment my party broke up, and in sight of 
many of the visitors, my neighbors' servants came to 
fetch the things they had lent me ; and it was funny to 
see cups and soup-plates and chairs being carried off to 
their lawful owners. I had asked people from four to 
six, and, like Cinderella, they rushed off when the hour 
struck. 

Wednesday, 31st. — We arrived at Tadousac late last 
night, bringing the children with us. I took them this 
morning to a sandy place, where they soon improvised 
spades and began to " make a dirt," as Hermie said. 

In the afternoon Lady H. and I went a drive — the 
only drive here. It begins on a very sandy road, comes 
to a place where the horses have, every few minutes, to 
walk down one wall and up another, continues through 
the remains of a burned forest, where the charred stumps 
of trees are almost buried in the luxuriant, fresh green 
vegetation springing up around them, and then brings 
you to a place which is really fearful : one side of the 
road is a steep precipice, the other a loose sandy hill, 
which is constantly slipping down and filling up the very 
narrow space you have to drive on. Here we got a 
pretty peep of the Saguenay, while heretofore we had 
been looking upon the St. Lawrence. D. and the Colonel 
went out boating. 



l5 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. I 

Sunday, August 4th. — The day was foggy and rainy, 
but we walked to the little church, which D. admires, 
and where, he says, we see " the first principles of archi- 
tecture."' It is the first church ever built in Canada, and 
is made of wood, just as you would make one with a 
child's box of bricks; the walls are long and short bars 
of wood, piled one upon the other. It is very quaint 
and simple. The service at Tadousac depends upon 
stray clergymen, and this Sunday there was none stay- 
ing in the place, so they asked an American Scripture- 
reader to read prayers, and he gave us a very nice serv- 
ice. D. and I took a walk in the afternoon, and were 
inveigled into paying a visit. We are too grand to pay 
visits as a rule, but sometimes we meet a friend at his 
own door, and he asks us to come in. 

Monday, ^t/i. — We were suddenly struck with the idee 
of going salmon-fishing; so we ordered a hamper of pro- 
visions to be ready in twenty minutes, took a comb and 
brush and a pocket-handkerchief in a bag, and set off, 
D. and I in the Imogene, which is a small yawl, Ham- 
mond following in the Dauntless. We had a lovely sail 
up the Saguenay to the mouth of the Marguerite River, 
where we arrived about four o'clock, and sent ashore for 
the fisherman. Then we each got into a canoe, and be- 
gan to ascend the rapids ' I have already described the 
rapids as they appeared from a steamer, but from a canoe 
one sees the dangers more closely. A man stands at 
each end of the canoe, with a long pole in his hand ; the 
passenger sits in the middle, on the floor. The current 
is something tremendous, and the water dashes about 
the rocks in quite a fearful way. The va&n pole the boat 
along, first giving a shove on one side and then on the 
other, shaving rocks, and conducting her safely with won- 
derful skill. It is very hard work, and when I said 
sympathetically to our conductor that it must be fa- 



AUG. 1872 THE FIRST SALMON. 



17 



tiguing work, he replied with very great fervor, ''^ Joliment 
fatiguanty This is going up the rapids; coming down 
the rush is with you, and then with equal skill the men 
use their paddles and ward the boat off from the rocks, 
stopping her in her headlong career as she appears to be 
rushing to destruction. We went up successfully, and 
landed about eight o'clock at the edge of a wood, groped 
our way up a narrow path, and found ourselves at three 
small wooden huts. The first was a dining-room and 
pantry, the second two bedrooms, the third a place for 
the men. Opposite the dining-room, but fifty yards from 
it, was an open shed, which I found to be the kitchen ; 
and as I sat at the head of the table I saw Imps dancing 
about the fire cooking our dinner. 

Opposite our encampment there is a curious geologi- 
cal — or clayological — formation : it looks as if half a 
high hill had been cut clean away with a knife — in fact, 
a perfect section of a hill is exposed to view. It is quite 
as flat as the side of a cheese, with nothing growing upon 
it, but the top is crowned with trees. The side is gray 
clay, and it is six hundred feet high. 

We were very glad to retire soon to our little iron 
beds, and to creep under our mosquito-curtains; but I 
confess I felt a certain emotion at the idea of sleeping in 
such a lonely place, with no one between us and the 
North Pole ! 

Tuesday, 6th. — Notwithstanding the solitary feelings 
which oppressed me for a time last night, I slept, and 
was ready to get up at five. We performed a hasty 
"toilet," swallowed a cup of tea, and took the canoes 
for fishing. We were both most industrious, and flogged 
the water with our flies, but had no bites ; then " Peter," 
the fisherman, took my rod and hooked a salmon. My 
rod is small, and he exclaimed, as the salmon ran off 
with the line, that "the cord was too short." Quick as 
3 



1 8 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. I 

possible he jumped into a canoe, and we saw a most ex- 
citing chase ; the salmon flying off with yards of line, — 
being wound up again, — giving an occasional jump into 
the air, and battling courageously for life. When he 
was getting worn out Peter landed and insisted upon my 
holding the rod. I found it almost too heavy for me, 
and I had a great deal of help in finishing the poor vic- 
tim, who still made dashes to release himself. At last 
we got him near the shore, when a cruel gaff was stuck 
into him, and a cry of triumph from the men announced 
his death to us, and to the listening woods. The salmon 
weighed .fifteen pounds. 

At nine we went home to our breakfast. After it we 
sat at the kitchen fire and burnt holes in the only boots 
we had with us ! The day was very fine, and we walked 
and sat about till four o'clock, when fishing recom- 
menced. I must tell you that we were oiled all over, 
face and neck and hands, with a strong-smelling stuff, 
to keep off the mosquitoes. 

Again D. and I began to work, and soon he hooked 
a salmon, and I laid down my rod to see the fight. It 
lasted a long time, and the fish led the fisherman a good 
dance before he died. He weighed fourteen and a quar- 
ter pounds, and was His Lordship's first salmon ! We 
caught no more. 

Wednesday, yth. — At eight o'clock we left the huts and 
went down the rapids, the men singing some of their 
wild and curious boat-songs as they paddled us along. 
We had arranged to fish for trout at the place where we 
had anchored the yachts, and then to be picked up by 
the steamer on its way down the Saguenay, and to go 
on to Riviere du Loup. However, to our astonishment, 
we saw our steamer going up the river. She had been 
detained by fog, and our plans were thus put out. There 
was nothing for it but to sail back to Tadousac, and 



AUG. 1872 HUNGRY AND TIRED. in 

await the steamer's return there. We had a couple of 
very disagreeable hours, and finally arrived at our des- 
tination in a fog, a thunderstorm, and a heavy shower. 
As we expected .the steamer's immediate return, we 
merely lay down upon our beds, and waited till five 
o'clock in the morning, when at last she arrived, and D. 
and I and our two sleepy children got on board. D. 
went straight on to Quebec, so he retired to bed ; but 
as we were to reach Riviere du Loup in two hours, we 
remained up, and got there at last very hungry and tired. 



CHAPTER II. 

QUEBEC. 

The Citadel : Friday^ August gth. — Lady Harriet and 
I have joined D. at Quebec, and I am much pleased with 
my barrack home. All books about Canada will tell 
you how splendid is the situation of the Citadel ; very 
high, and commanding a magnificent view of that great 
river the St. Lawrence. Our house — " quarters," I 
should say — is not yet quite ready, and workmen are 
still busy papering and making alterations. The old 
mess-room is our dining-room, and the drawing-room is 
above it. It is a long room, with windows at either end : 
those facing the river open on to an immense platform, 
the outer wall of which forms a balustrade. There I sit 
and look down hundreds of feet upon the town lying be- 
low me ; or into the ships, on to whose decks I fancy I 
could almost throw a stone ; or at the St. Lawrence it- 
self, and at the blue hills far away — in fact, at one of 
the most celebrated views of the world ! There are 
great black cannon also looking out from the Citadel, 
and the Union Jack and the Dominion Flag are flying 
beside me. I assure you it is very romantic ! 

I am rather afraid that with your little English ideas 
you will not understand the size of my "platform," but 
it is big enough to give a ball on, or a garden party, or 
a charity bazaar, or any other sort of gathering you like ! 
— so open your mind for the consideration of it. 



AUG. 1872 SETTING UP HOUSE. 21 

D. and Colonel Fletcher rode, and I went for a charm- 
ing drive, and was more pleased than ever with the coun- 
try round Quebec. Everything is growing so luxuriantly 
now. The hedges are full of flowers and large wild maid- 
enhair fern, and quantities of berries which all seem to 
be eatable ; and the crops, which, before they were fully 
developed, looked miserable, have suddenly swelled out 
and filled up all the bare places one deplored a month ago. 

Monday^ 12th. — The weather is very hot, but not 
oppressive. People here live behind green blinds, and 
shut the sun out of their houses: they can not under- 
stand our liking to see it shine in, and they complain of 
the heat much more than we do. 

Tuesday^ 13th. — In the afternoon we went out to do 
some shopping. The most important part of it was 
choosing furniture for a little room. It was difficult to 
get what we wanted. They have no plain stuffed sofas 
or chairs — everything is surrounded by elaborate carv- 
ings in wood, and the men are astonished that their 
Excellencies " tiaiment pas la sculpttcre." 

We are miserable over our heavy luggage, which 
will not arrive. We have nine dessert-plates, and no 
other china, no silver plate at all, no harness, and it is 
impossible to *'setup" or to give dinners until these 
things arrive. No one traveling here should lose sight 
of his box for an instant. Things are never lost, but 
they may be months getting to their owner. 

I have been looking for a scullery-maid, and find 
women-servants very scarce. I have only seen one 
young lady in search of the place : she spoke with a 
real Irish brogue, and appeared in a smart hat and 
feathers. She was extremely surprised at my wishing 
to have a character. She had one, but had left it at 
home, not supposing I should care to see it; of course 
she could fetch it directly. Next morning she brought 



22 



MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. ii 



me three lines, on very common paper, which, in very 
bad writing, certified her to be honest and " obUdgeing." 
In spite of the brogue she was Canadian, and was '' sure 
she didn't know what Mama was," when I questioned 
her as to her nationality. 

Friday, i6th. — Having got my eleven letters shut up 
all ready for the mail, I took a complete holiday from 
writing, for one is always pen in hand here, and letter- 
writing becomes one's normal condition. We look upon 
our epistles as seed sown, and are always egging each 
other on to write to new people, that our harvest of 
news may be plentiful. 

The weather has changed, and a gale is blowing. 
We hardly know our Quebec in this tempest, and long 
to see it in its usual sunshine again. 

Every afternoon we take a drive, and generally man- 
age a little walk too. Colonel Strange* has lent us 
some arms, and at the top of our crimson-clothed stair- 
case we have a magnificent arrangement of swords and 
spears and flags ; opposite it a star of bayonets. Our 
drawing-room is not yet finished, but we hope it will be 
ready by Monday, when we have a dinner of twenty- 
four people; " and yet I am not happy," for glass, plate, 
and china are still on their travels. Eleven of our 
twenty-four are cricketers, who are expected to arrive 
to-morrow from England. 

Mr. Pattisson, D.'s Private Secretary, arrived from 
Ottawa. 

Monday, I gth. — We were busy the whole morning 
arranging the drawing-room; then we drove to the 
town to get table-covers and some finishing touches. 
Our efforts were crowned with success, and the room 
looked extremely pretty. 

* In command of B Battery, Canadian Artillery. 



AUG. 1872 A PICNIC. 2% 

Nearly everything had to be hired for the dining- 
room ; but about an hour before dinner a few cases 
arrived, and two or three salvers were got out to orna- 
ment the sideboard. 

We had thirty people — eleven of them cricketers. 
The dinner was supposed to be at 7.30, and the Cana- 
dians arrived punctually, but the English guests were 
somewhat London-like in their hours. In the evening 
the officers of the B Battery, quartered in the Citadel, 
came in. Every one admired our new platform very 
much, and as a most splendid moon shone down upon 
the St. Lawrence for the occasion, it really was very 
nice. The attractions of the platform almost emptied 
the drawing-room. 

Tuesday^ 20th. — In the afternoon we drove out. Lady 
Harriet, Mr. Coulson, and I. First we went over an asy- 
lum part of which is for old men and old women. The 
first old gentleman I saw said, " I was just coming up to 
see you. I come from Killyleagh." * 

At each side of the building are orphan asylums. We 
went over everything thoroughly, going up to the attics 
and down to the kitchens, and examining both the sum- 
mer and winter clothing of the boys and girls. 

Thursday^ 22d. — The morning looked damp and un- 
certain, but we started on a picnic. A tandem, contain- 
ing our second cook and our guide and commissariat 
officer, led the way. Lady H. and I followed in a ba- 
rouche. D. and Colonel Fletcher rode. I must tell you 
that our '■'■ guide " is quite a character, and is of a most 
sanguine disposition : he declared the distance to the 
lake was only twenty miles, that there we should catch 
fish of enormous weights, that moose and bear and cari- 
bou would be shot by us in the bush, and, although it 

* My old home in County Down. 



24 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. ii 

poured as we drove along, that the weather would be 
lovely '' in half an hour." 

D. thought seriously of turning back, but we voted 
for giving the sun another chance, and things soon 
looked much better. When we had reached the " twenty 
miles " we found we were about half way, and we 
stopped at a cottage to change carriages. The rest of 
the road was too rough for our barouche, so we got into 
the wagon with the tandem, while the cook set out in a 
cart. We gave the horses an hour to rest, while we sat 
in the garden and talked to the man and his wife. She 
was Scotch, and he a very good specimen of an Irish- 
man. He had bought eighty acres for ^loo, but thinks 
a tenant in Ireland better off, in spite of his "rent." 
They both dread the long winters, and the heat of the 
summer. 

They had such a nice dog with an extraordinary 
taste for putting out fires. When shown a lighted paper, 
he rushed at it, tried to extinguish it with his mouth, 
then had recourse to his paws, and, after succeeding, 
cooled his poor tongue with some clay or a stone. 

When we reached our destination, we found our 
three tents pitched on the borders of Lake St. Joseph, 
which is ten miles long, and is surrounded by hills 
covered with woods. At sunset it was lovely ; the hills 
becoming purple and blue, and the water looking like 
molten brass. Close to our encampment was a farm- 
house, and a nice Irish family, all with charming man- 
ners — the father a magistrate. 

Our guide had been beaming all day, and was radi- 
ant now that the weather looked better. He had shown 
us the tea-plant growing on the way, the saffron-plant, 
etc., and had told us a good deal about the country and 
the people. He sent us out with our rods to fish, while 
our dinner was being prepared. With us went Ham- 



AUG. 1872 MR. WHITE, 25 

mond (who had arrived before to pitch our tents), and a 
Mr. White, one of the afore-mentioned Irish family. We 
were just throwing out our first line, when Mr. White 
said, " There is a great storm coming : we must get 
under the trees." We jumped out of the boats, got 
under some bushes, and pulled a waterproof over us ; 
a terrific storm, with tropical rain, came on, and, in 
spite of all precautions, we got quite wet. When it was 
over, we set off for our encampment. Our guide met 
us on the shore. His spirits were not damped, and 
when Colonel Fletcher inquired anxiously if the tents 
had let in any water, he replied, " Not a drop, Colonel ; 
not a drop." On reaching them, however, we found 
every bed and blanket wet through ! They had looked 
so nice and comfortable when we went out, and now all 
our possessions were soaking. 

We lighted a fire, — for which the Whites sacrificed 
all their nice palings, — and surrounded it with the wet 
shawls, and beds, and bedding ; then we pulled our table 
close to the warm blaze, and our cook sent us soup and 
entrees^ and roasts and pudding, and we were quite happy. 
As soon as the things were dry we went to bed. 

We had three tents. In the first wx dressed ; in the 
second D. and I had most comfortable little beds, and 
we crept through a hole to get to them. I procured a 
penknife to put under my pillow, to cut my way out in 
case of emergency, for in a panic I never could have 
found the hole. There was a faint possibility of a bear 
peeping in at it, and a pretty good chance of a pig com- 
mitting the same indiscretion. 

Friday, 2jd. — The fire was crackling outside my tent 
when I awoke, and as soon as D. had dressed, I skipped 
across to the dressing-tent, and got ready for breakfast. 
The day was lovely, and we were all full of anticipation. 
Our guide appeared so radiant and so exactly the image 



26 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. ii 

of the celebrated " Mr. Briggs " in " Punch " that he 
now goes by that name among us. There he was, with 
his short coat, and a great wide-awake hat, on each side 
of which drooped an enormous long white cock's feather ; 
the living picture of Mr. Briggs when he stated that " his 
heart was in the Highlands." 

The gentlemen were to go into the bush with him, 
while we ladies were to fish. We had a very pleasant 
day, and caught fifty bass — a very good fresh-water fish, 
and an amusing one to catch. We came home to lunch, 
sat two hours in the sunshine, and went out on the lake 
again in the afternoon. 

The other party, though unsuccessful, had great fun. 

*' Briggs," with his powder-flask round his neck, three 
or four guns, and several fishing-rods in the canoe, or- 
dered his men to start. He recommended the gentlemen 
to take ten " rounds " of ammunition, which they did, 
though they feared there would be nothing to shoot, and 
they only wanted to see the " bush." Off they went, and 
as they rowed along Briggs would issue short and sharp 
words of command to Mr. White : " White, stop there 
and catch a trout." "White, we'll take a bass here," 
which they did not do, and then went on. They landed, 
and Briggs was to lead them to a small lake, on the 
shores of which he promised caribou. He had not gone 
ten yards before he cried, *' Now, Colonel, we'll take a 
breath," and during the " breath " the poor Colonel was 
devoured by black flies, of which Briggs had previously 
declared there was not one. The walking was very 
severe, as there were great trunks of trees lying about, so 
covered with moss that the walkers did not see them un- 
til they stepped on the apparently solid ground, when 
they sank down between the branches of the fallen trees. 
Briggs's " breath "-taking became frequent, and D. soon 
began to fear, not only that Mr. Briggs had no notion 



AUG. 1872 ''MR, BRIGGSr 2/ 

of his way at all, but also that he was keeping himself 
up by rather too many " drops " of brandy ; so a consul- 
tation was held, and they found that if they went on un- 
til the sun set, they would lose their way, and be unable 
to get out of the wood, so they thought seriously of re- 
turning. Briggs began to give more decided orders than 
ever. "White, go and get me a glass of water; do you 
hear. White ? — go and get it directly, sir " — this when no 
water was to be seen anywhere ; then, " White, go and 
find that lake — go on there, and you'll find it, sir" ; but 
Mr. White was afraid of being lost. Then Briggs lay 
down, called for his mosquito-curtain, and D. and Colonel 
Fletcher began to consider how they could get him 
home. They sent him a bottle of ginger ale (without 
any brandy), and soon after drinking that he pulled him- 
self together, and they, steering by the sun, got out of 
the wood. 

They were immensely amused, but Briggs was crest- 
fallen, and went to bed, and has never alluded to this 
expedition again. Our cook had shot us some snipe and 
squirrels, and gave us an excellent dinner : we tasted 
the squirrels, but they were strong of turpentine and 
were very nasty. 

When something was said to Hammond about poor 
Mr. Briggs, he said, " And he turned out all 'hands this 
morning after the roosters to get those two feathers for 
his hat." 

Saturday^ 24th. — We had our breakfast down on the 
edge of the lake, and sat a long time enjoying the sun ; 
then we rowed over to the other side to see the pitcher- 
plant growing wild. We also saw a turtle found in the 
lake. At noon we started on our journey home. The 
views the whole way were lovely, and we stopped to 
lunch on the borders of the Jacques Cartier River, lighted 
a fire, and had broiled fish, etc. 



28 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. il 

During the tandem part of the drive we talked to 
Mr. Briggs, and he was very interesting, telling all his 
trade secrets. At the half-way house we were very well 
received, and the lady had baked us some fine plum- 
cakes, which she begged us to take home. 

Monday^ 26th. — D. held a levee, and was fully occu- 
pied till seven o'clock. 

Tuesday^ 27th. — In the afternoon we went to see the 
lunatic asylum here. It appears to be well managed, 
and is very clean. 

In the evening we had a dinner of twenty-five peo- 
ple. Mr. Russell Gurney and Mr. W. H. Smith, M. P.* 
for Westminster, and Colonel and Mrs. Fessenden, 
Americans, were our strangers : the rest were all Cana- 
dians. 

Wednesday, 28th. — Mr. R. Gurney and Mr. Smith 
breakfasted with us, and went over the University 
with D. We had another dinner ; twenty people. At 
nine '' Her Excellency " had a reception, to which all the 
people who had called were asked. Our platform was 
hung with Chinese lanterns. 

Society is at present my business in life, and this is 
how my week is laid out : Monday, I remain at home to 
receive visitors. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we 
have large dinners. Friday we keep for sight-seeing, 
and Saturday we have small dinners. On the big nights 
-we have a "drum." Hitherto we have enjoyed our din- 
ners and parties very much ; the people are so pleasant 
and chatty. 

There is a delightful old French lady here, Madame 
Duval, who thoroughly enjoys society and "drums." 
Unfortunately she is in mourning at present, and can 

* The Right Honorable W. H. Smith, First Lord of the Treasury, 
1891. 



SEPT. 1872 THE URSULINE CONVENT. 29 

not come unless I diplomatically suggest that the invita- 
tion is a "command." Mourning is kept here in the 
strictest manner, and I believe there is a time fixed for 
keeping down a thick veil — a time for paying mourning 
visits, etc., etc. 

I was " at home " to visitors, and we had a very 
pleasant afternoon — a few people at a time, instead of 
the rush at an official gathering. 

After dinner we had a drum, at which nearly the 
whole of Quebec appeared. They were cheery, and it 
went off w^ell. I tried to have some singing, but there 
was too much talk. The band played, and, unluckily, 
finished its performance with " God save the Queen " : 
the instant the familiar bars were heard, half-finished 
ices were thrown down and every one rushed away. 

Thursday^ September ^th. — Lady Harriet and I called 
at the Ursuline Convent. We took the babies, and I 
was more struck with the peculiarities of convent life 
than when we went through the establishment before ; for, 
not having D. with us, we were not admitted, but had to 
talk to the nuns through iron bars. It was quite funny 
to hear them all buzzing inside their cage, laughing and 
talking, and handing sugar to the babies and admiring 
them ! Luckily, they (the babies) behaved well, and 
both examined the curious scene with the utmost 
gravity. 

Friday^ 6th. — I was writing this morning when D. 
called me to see eight bishops, archbishops, and grands 
vicaires who had particularly asked for me. I went into 
the drawing-room, and found all these ecclesiastics in 
full dress. Our Grand Vicar as usual put every one at 
his ease, and initiated a lively conversation. 

Immediately after lunch we started off in a small 
steamer to the other side of the river. We were met by 
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, who came out with us in the Frus- 



-30 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. n 

sian, and they took us to tiie Chaudiere Falls. We ad- 
mired them very much. There is a great body of water, 
of a deep brown color, which tumbles down from a good 
height, and the waterfall is very wide ; the cloud of 
white spray looks so pretty against the dark water. 

We also went to see a very handsome new Roman 
Catholic church just built at New Liverpool. We found 
the priest — Father Saxe — a most superior old man, and 
very good-looking. He is proud of his church, and was 
pleased with our visit. He cultivates grapes and a gar- 
den, " which are his wife and children." 

Saturday^ yth. — In the evening we had a small dinner, 
and as soon as the gentlemen came up we had singing 
and playing. Mrs. Pemberton sang Irish melodies, and 
Madame Sericole French songs, and M. La Rue sang a 
little of everything, and then we had a number of Cana- 
dian boat-songs with choruses. They are very pretty, 
the music wild and plaintive. Our old friend, Madame 
Duval, was in great force, and she and her daughter 
dictated a song to M. La Rue which was rather amusing 
and pretty. She (Madame Sericole) sang, " I will be an 
eel in a pond to escape from you;" then he, "Si vous 
vous faites anguille, je me ferai pecheur pour vous pren- 
dre en pechant ; " then she, " Si vous vous faites pecheur 
pour me prendre en pechant, je deviendrai alouette," 
etc. This kind of conversation goes on to any length, 
till finally she says she will become a nun, when he 
makes himself "precheur pour vous prendre en pre- 
chant." This fidelity she is unable to resist, and, " Puis- 
que tu m'aimes tant pour te faire precheur pour me 
prendre en prechant, I will marry you." 

Monday, gth. — Mr. and Mrs. T. Brassey * and Miss 
Robinson dined with us. He has just come from Eng- 

* Lord and (the late) Lady Brassey. 



SEPT. 1872 THE LOCAL LNSTLTUTIONS. 31 

land in his yacht, a twenty-eight days' voyage; Mrs. 
Brassey came out in the steamer. 

Wednesday^ nth. — The Bishop of Quebec and Judge 
Stuart came to breakfast, and at eleven we started on 
an educational tour. At the first school separate ad- 
dresses were made to each of us, and I was asked for a 
holiday. The boys' schools seem almost all to be under 
the Christian Brothers. The Cure of Quebec went with 
us. He, like the other priests here, is very " jolly." I 
think we went to six schools ; at each an address was 
read, and at each we gave a holiday. We also went to 
see the Houses of Parliament — that is, the local Parlia- 
ment. Before the seat of Government was moved it 
was the imperial one. It is in good taste ; the outside 
quite plain. After lunch we went with D. (who had not 
previously been there) to the lunatic asylum. We saw 
as much as we dared to see, and D. just escaped a cup 
of tea which one of the wildest of the patients threw 
through the holes in the door of her cell. After this we 
went to see some Egyptian curiosities, and I hurried 
home to rest for twenty minutes before my dinner. We 
had twenty-two people, the Brasseys among the number. 

Thursday^ 12th. — It is the experience of a very tired 
person you will now hear, for to-day must be added to 
yesterday to understand my feelings. We did not go 
out till two, for I was very busy all the morning; but at 
two we went down to the Convent of St. Roch, where 
our reception was most charming. The nuns received 
us at the door and led us into a very large room, the 
walls of which were lined from floor to ceiling with lit- 
tle children : they each wore either a blue or a red rib- 
bon, and they were all from three to eight years old — five 
hundred in number. About twenty stood in the middle 
of the room and sang a song of welcome, and whenever 
they came to the word " Excellence," or " Milor," they 



32 My CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. ii 

all courtesied together. Then one came forward and 
made a little address, adding that this great occasion 
was worthy of "a double holiday." In his reply D. said 
that although he had never heard of that phenomenon 
in nature " a double holiday," he was happy to grant it. 
Then we went upstairs to see the older pupils. I can 
not tell you what a pretty ceremony it was, and how 
gracefully they all made their 7'eve7'ences together. We 
looked at the Church of St. Roch, which is a large and 
rather gaudy building. Then we proceeded to the boys' 
school of the district, and heard some singing, and re- 
ceived an address. We had a large dinner at night. 

Friday, ijth. — To our duties again to-day, in spite 
of pouring rain. We began at ten, and visited the High 
School, which is a superior boys' school, and several 
other Protestant schools. 

Monday, i6th. — We went to the Ursuline Convent 
and were received at the door by the Confessor and 
some other clergy, and by some of the official people in 
the parlor. We looked at pictures and at Montcalm's 
skull until all was ready, and then we went to the great 
door of the convent and knocked. Some nuns opened 
to us, and conducted us to a large room, where we found 
all the pupils dressed in white and with wreaths of flow- 
ers on their heads. They sang a welcome as we came 
in ; then two came forward, and one gave a little address 
in English and one in French. All the time we were 
there waves of courtesies kept sweeping along the line 
every time our names were mentioned, and as we passed 
down the room. It was very prettily decorated. We 
made a tour of the convent, and heard the pupils play a 
piece on five pianos and a harmonium at once. We 
were admitted to the cells — cold and cheerless places — 
saw the great cage in which the pupils are inclosed 
when they see their parents, the dining-room with its 



SEPT. i872 RECEPTIONS AT THE CONVENTS. 33 

meager furniture, the children's playground, and, in fact, 
all the sights of the convent. The nuns themselves we 
found most cheerful and happy. 

In the evening we went to a ball given in our honor 
by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Narcisse Belleau. It 
was held in the music-hall, a very fine room. D. danced 
everything, and I danced the square dances. 

Tuesday^ lyth. — In spite of our fatigues, we had to 
start early to visit another convent, " Jesus Marie," at 
Sillery. Here our reception was too lovely. The con- 
vent has only been built three years, and is a splendid 
house, with all the new improvements, and with fine 
grounds surrounding it. In one hall there are twelve 
glass boxes, each containing a piano, so that the pupils 
can practice simultaneously ; while in another glass 
house sits the mistress, overlooking, but, happily for 
her, not overhearing. At the door we were met by 
priests, and by the Lady Superior, and we first of all 
paid our respects to the nuns — little black ladies with 
white, large-bordered caps. They conducted us through 
passages ornamented with maple-leaves, and placed us 
on thrones in presence of the pupils. The children 
were in white, and a circle of twelve of them began a 
dramatic conversation, in which they consulted each 
other as to the best way of doing us honor. One sug- 
gested that the " Genius of Canada" should be asked her 
opinion on the subject, and, like a good fairy, she imme- 
diately appeared upon the scene, and settled the question 
by giving me a large bunch of artificial roses made in the 
convent, singing meanwhile a song the refrain of which 

v^as — 

" Ce sont des roses sans Opines, 
Que Ton vous offre au Canada." 

The Genius was a pretty, fair girl, wearing a silver 
wreath and a white gown ornamented with maple-leaves 
4 



34 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. II 

and roses. After all this the nuns gave us cake and 
sweet wine, and we hurried off to another convent. It 
was a very small one, only just setting itself up, but 
there were about thirty pupils. On our way we went to 
look at a church, and called on Lady Belleau, and then 
rushed back to be '' at home " all the afternoon. 

I had my room full of people from three to six, so, as 
you may suppose, I was pretty tired when the hour for 
rest came. 

D. and I dined alone, which is much more of an event 
now than a dinner-party would be. 

Wednesday^ Zc?M.— The day of our first ball. We were 
excessively busy making decorations, and attending to all 
the endless ball arrangements. Nevertheless, we had to 
go out to pay a state visit to the Universite Laval. 
There we were received by the Archbishop, etc., and, 
after seeing the young boys, D. w^ent through the build- 
ing, museum, and library, and finally into the great room, 
where we were received by the University proper. We 
sat on a dais at one end, and the hall was filled with 
students, priests, and guests ; the Rector and the Pro- 
fessors, in robes, walked in and read an address, and list- 
ened to D.'s reply. Then we went up on the roof, 
looked at the magnificent view, and peeped at the sun 
through a telescope After this, home, where w^e partly 
rested and partly looked after the ball. 

Our room has light-colored walls and a high arched 
roof, and we ornamented it with festoons of blue and 
white, fastened with great bunches of pink and white 
roses — the ceiling the same. We had a military band 
outside, where there was a very good floor, and a string 
band in the room ; so people danced both outside and in, 
and they kept it up till three with great spirit. They 
really did enjoy themselves, which is encouraging, as we 
have another on Friday. 



SEPT. 1872 THE '' STADACONA HUNT:' 



35 



Thursday^ ipth. — Gay people that we are ! To-day 
we had a paper-hunt. We started at eleven, D. riding, 
and I taking two Frenchmen who are staying here — le 
Comte de Montebello and le Baron Brun — in the car- 
riage. It poured at first, but cleared soon. We crossed 
the river in a ferry, carriage and all, and were told where 
to place ourselves ; so we were much amused, as we saw 
the jumping perfectly. When the paper was "killed," 
we met at some country barracks, had lunch, and formed 
a "club," "the Stadacona Hunt," with D. as president. 

Friday^ 20th. — At twelve o'clock I went over a Prot- 
estant home, where orphans and old women have a 
refuge. It seems to be very nice and comfortable. Aft- 
er lunch we inspected an india-rubber manufactory, and 
saw the material from the time it comes out of the tree 
till it leaves the place as goloshes. Then we proceeded 
to a wood-mill, where all carpentering is done by ma- 
chinery, and where we saw our Tadousac house laid out. 
It will be made there, and transported in barges to its 
site. 

We had a second ball in the evening, and this time 
we had an awning on the platform, which was hung with 
Chinese lanterns. It looked very pretty, and it entirely 
prevented any crowd in the ballroom ; in fact, it was al- 
most the more popular place of the two. 

Saturday^ 2ist. — H. E. had suggested some athletic 
sports, so we went down to see them and to lunch with 
the Mayor. There was a very good place for the games 
— a smooth field, surrounded by high grass banks on two 
sides, and with houses on the third. People sat on the 
banks and in the houses, and, as the day was lovely, 
there was an immense concourse of spectators. 

The hills all round, as seen from our celebrated plat- 
form, are of the most lovely autumn colors, and, covered 
as they are with red and orange trees, they really look 



25 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. ii 

like flames in the distance, or like gigantic flower-gar- 
dens; for our trees are quite as brilliant as your best 
flowers^ and if you can imagine your conservatory mag- 
nified a million times, and spread over miles and miles 
of hill and dale, you will begin to understand how we do 
things in this Canada of ours. 

Monday y 2jd. — We left Quebec to-day, and received 
quite an ovation at our departure. The weather was 
lovely, and we started from the Citadel at three, escorted 
by a guard of honor. The streets were hung with flags, 
and were full of people. At one corner, the boys of the 
Universite Laval met us, and about fifty of them each 
presented me with a bouquet, so that I was half buried 
with flowers. When we arrived at the wharf, we found 
almost the whole of the society waiting to say good-by 
to us. The Mayor read an address, and invited us to a 
ball, and D. replied. Then .we shook hands with every 
one, and went on board. Every part of the town, right 
up to the Citadel, was crowded, and six steamers full of 
people accompanied us for ten miles. When we got to 
Cap Rouge, the steamers turned back, the people on 
board cheering and waving their handkerchiefs. On 
the coast, too, at each little wharf, people were collected, 
and at the houses far up on the shore we saw waving 
flags and table-cloths. As we passed the Sillery Con- 
vent, all the children came out with flags. No wonder 
we like Quebec I 



CHAPTER III. 

ONTARIO, 

Tuesday^ September 24th. — The train left Montreal at 
8 A. M., and we were in it till 11.30 at night — a very long 
journey. However, we had a most comfortable car, 
with arm-chairs and sofas, and managed to sleep a good 
deal. In spite of the lateness of the hour we were 
met at Toronto by crowds of people and a torchlight 
procession. The Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Howland, 
took us to his house, which was magnificently illumi- 
nated. 

Wednesday^ 2^th. — A large dinner-party and a very 
pretty ball, the house and grounds being illuminated. 

Thursday, 26th. — At eleven o'clock we started by 
special train for Hamilton. It is a very prettily situated 
town on Lake Ontario, which looks more like the sea 
than a lake. All the streets are planted with trees, and 
there is a high hill behind the town, from which the 
view is magnificent. We were received at the station 
by the Mayor and Corporation, who presented an ad- 
dress, and drove to the Cattle Show yard, where there 
was another, and D. and I walked round the grounds 
and looked at the animals, while the people looked at 
us. We examined prize horses, cows, and pigs, but 
found the crowd so great that we resolved to return in 
the morning to see everything more quietly. We are 



38 AfV CAJVA DIA N JO URNAL. CH. in 

Staying with Mr. Mclrmes, who makes us very comfort- 
able. 

Friday^ 2yth. — We were at the exhibition early, and 
went round sewing-machines, pictures, refrigerators, 
stoves, vegetables, fruit, etc., etc. 

After this we drove to the City Hall and received a 
deputation from the Six Nations. The chief "Chief" 
was finely dressed, and wore feathers in a hat, and 
many medals on his breast. He carried the silver pipe 
of peace, but also had on a scalping-knife, a tomahawk, 
and a dagger ; and he was enchanted when, in allusion 
to these weapons, D. told him that he would rather 
have him for a friend than an enemy. 

He was a fine-looking man, and had the best of 
manners. He read the address in English, the other 
chiefs standing by in plain clothes, and when D. replied, 
the Chief translated into Indian each sentence of his 
speech. As soon as the Indians left we had a general 
reception, and afterward drove out to a lovely country 
place belonging to Mr. Mclnnes. There we lunched, 
and then hurried off to the train. 

In an hour and a half we reached Toronto, and the 
grand and official reception took place. A guard of 
honor and the Mayor met us at the station, and we 
drove to the Town Hall. All the streets were crowded 
with people, the windows full, and the houses orna- 
mented with flags. There were some splendid triumphal 
arches, and the whole way along we were cheered. We 
made quite a procession, fire-engines and carriages lead- 
ing the way for us. Another guard of honor met us at 
the hall, and we went in and had two more addresses. 
D. did not find his written replies at the station as he ex- 
pected, so he had to speak extempore, and I think that 
pleased his audience more. 

After this, we again got into the carriages and drove 



SEPT. 1872 NIAGARA. 



39 



to the hotel through crowds, where we remained as the 
guests of the city. In the evening twenty of the Cor- 
poration dined with us. I sat by the Mayor, Mr. Sheard 
— a very nice man. After dinner we drove out to see 
the illuminations : there were some very pretty ones, and 
the arches looked beautiful. 

Saturday, 28th. — The weather is quite splendid, and 
the Corporation took us for a drive. This town is one 
of those wonderful quick-growing places : the streets are 
very wide, and trees are planted on each side of them. 
There are some very handsome buildings and numbers 
of the most charming villas. On our return, we had 
lunch. Our health and the Mayor's health were drunk ; 
and as the latter made frequent mention of me as D.'s 
" kind lady," I am in hopes I made an impression. 

At three, D. had a levee, and after this we returned 
to Government House. Another dinner of twenty to- 
night. 

We are thinking of spending a week at Niagara, and 
wrote to the hotel-keeper there to ask price of rooms, 
etc. He replied first to the business part, and then 
added, " I should like to know how many guests His 
Excellency will bring with him, as I wish to give a little 
hop while he is here, and I have to write for the music," 
etc., etc. 

p. s. — " The hop and the music will not be charged 
extra " ! 

We declined the "hop." 

Monday, 30th. — We have arrived at Niagara, and I 
write to you in sight of the Falls. The spray rises in 
clouds and joins the other clouds in the sky, which has 
a most curious effect, and there is a brilliant rainbow in 
the spray, and I am not in the least disappointed with 
the quantity of water, or with the size of the Fa.ll ; but 
I don't think the first view of it is so overpoweringly 



40 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. in 

grand as I expected. The Fall is so wide that it rather 
takes from the height, and I imagine it is a sight the full 
grandeur of which will grow upon one day by day. Sir 
Hastings Doyle * is staying with us. 

Tuesday, October ist. — We went to a convent, accom- 
panied by the Archbishop in violet. It has a beautiful 
view of the Falls from its windows. After lunch we 
crossed the bridge and went into the States. 

From that side we had fine views of the rapids and 
great, rushing river, and there we prepared to visit the 
" Cave of the Winds." I had no idea what the Cave 
really was, and was surprised to find that we were ex- 
pected to array ourselves in yellow oilcloth trousers, 
with jackets and hoods of the same material. Thus ac- 
coutred we descended a flight of stairs, and found our- 
selves at the foot of a waterfall. On our feet we had 
soft cloth shoes, which enabled us to climb down the 
steepest and wettest and most slippery rocks. The 
spray beat in our faces, and we could only occasionally 
open our eyes to see the splendid rainbow in the water, 
and the great height above us from which the water was 
rushing down. We climbed in this way over rocks and 
small wooden bridges until we came to the Fall, and 
walked behind it, in a complete shower-bath; but I en- 
joyed it immensely. We came out at the other side, 
having passed behind a portion of Niagara. We did 
look a funny yellow party, dripping with water. 

Thursday, jd. — We were joined by Sir Edward Thorn- 
ton, our Minister at Washington, and walked to the foot 
of the Horseshoe Fall, which spot, I think, gives a 
greater idea of the magnitude of Niagara than any other 
view. In the afternoon we drove to see the whirlpool 

* The late General Sir C. Hastings Doyle, Lieut.-Governor of 
Nova Scotia, and commanding the troops in Canada. 



OCT. 1872 BUFFALO. 41 

and the rapids below the Falls, which are very rapid in- 
deed. 

We went by train to see a great engineering work 
undertaken by Mr. Gzowski.* He is making a bridge 
over the Niagara, close to Buffalo ; the piers have to be 
built in water eighty feet deep, where the stream is rush- 
ing along twenty miles an hour. We saw the whole 
plan — but I will not attempt to describe anything so 
scientific. Colonel Fletcher put on a diver's dress and 
went down the eighty feet, bringing us some stones from 
the bottom. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gzowski took us for a drive through 
Buffalo. There are miles of " street " there, arranged 
with the road in the middle, and on either side three 
rows of trees and a broad strip of grass, in the center of 
which there is a stone footpath. Each house is a hand- 
some " villa," with a large piece of ground round it. 
One gets such an impression of wealth and comfort that 
one is astonished, and this is a " third-rate " American 
town. 

Friday, 4th. — Sir Hastings Doyle left us to-day. We 
were very sorry to part with him, he was always so 
cheerful and such an amusing companion. 

Toronto : Saturday, ^th. — We have hired a house at 
Toronto, and are settling ourselves in it to-day. There 
is a very bad epidemic among the horses here, and ours 
are suffering from it too, which is inconvenient. 

Tuesday, 8th — We had our first Drawing-room^ 
There were about 1,500 people present, and, as I had to 
courtesy all the time, I had plenty of exercise. The 
room looked very handsome when thus filled with smart 
people. This was quite a new experiment in Canada, 

* Col. Sir Casimir S. Gzowski, K. C. M. G., Hon. A. D. C. to the 
Queen. 



42 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. Ill 

drawing-rooms not having been held before, and it seems 
to be approved. 

Wednesday, pth. — Having recovered from the fatigues 
of the Drawing-room, I drove in the afternoon to see a 
lacrosse match. It is almost the national game here, 
and is a sort of ideal football. The ball is caught on a 
racket and thrown from one side to the other. It is 
very pretty and amusing to watch. The game was 
whites versus Indians. The latter showed us their war- 
dance before we left. 

Lo7idon : Thursday^ loth. — Our train left Toronto at 
9 A. M., and on our way to London we stopped at Wood- 
stock to receive addresses. The station at London was 
very prettily arranged. Immense numbers of people 
were present, and gave us a very warm reception. We 
drove to the Cattle Show yard, where there were more 
addresses, and where the people got over the palings 
and came in tremendous crowds all about us, so that 
we saw very little. 

After lunch at the Members' house. Lady Harriet 
and I returned to the hotel, where the City entertained 
us, and D. went on to Helmuth College and to some oil- 
refineries. We dined alone, and just as we had finished 
a torchlight procession passed, throwing up Roman 
candles and rockets. Being dressed for the ball, I was 
requested to show myself to the guests in the hotel, and 
the American mistress of the place said to me, " Well, 
missis, I must compliment you very highly." 

The ballroom was very fine, and His Excellency 
danced every dance. 

Friday^ nth. — We started at eleven, with a large 
party "on board the cars," to visit the oil-wells of " Pe- 
trolia," where we saw the oil as it comes up through the 
pump — thick, black, and mixed with water. We also 
saw the process of looking for a well, " sinking a shaft," 



OCT. 1872 PETROLIA. 42 

and all the machinery used. The oil leaves Petrolia 
free from water, but black and thick : the refining is 
done at London. The oil district is, of course, ugly, 
the ground black and swampy. Stumps of trees and 
wooden erections — some like enormous barrels — cover 
the whole place, but it was very interesting to see it. 
On our way back we were shown into a " drawing- 
room " car, where we found about twenty tables laid, 
each one for two people. We had an excellent hot lunch 
cooked on board, and got back to London at three o'clock. 
Here the party left us, and we returned to Toronto. 

Saturday^ 12th. — Lady Harriet and I inspected an 
orphan home, examining everything from garret to 
basement. On the way we passed a large house mov- 
ing to some other site. It was on rollers, and was go- 
ing slowly along the street. 

A dinner-party closed the day. 

Tuesday, i^th. — D. and I drove to see a fine Wesleyan 
church. In the same building, forming part of the archi- 
tectural effect outside, but separate inside, there are 
Sunday-school and Committee rooms. Then we went 
on to Bishop Strachan's Church of England Ladies' 
School. We liked all we saw there very much. The 
girls played and sang and read to us, and as they had 
decorated their bedrooms we had to go into each one. 

Wednesday, i6th. — At eleven our duties began again, 
and we visited the Normal and Model Schools. These 
are the National Schools of Canada, and members of all 
denominations met us, the English clergyman introduc- 
ing the R. C. Bishop. This afternoon I have been to 
two orphan asylums, this evening to a charity concert. 

Thursday, lyth. — My children and my brother Fred * 

* Lieut.-Colonel F. Rowan Hamilton, late 9th Foot, who was with 
us as A. D. C. in Canada and India.— H. D. & A. 



44 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. iii 

sail for Canada to-day. H. E. and I went out at the 
usual hour of eleven, and paid a visit to Trinity College, 
one of the first-fruits of disestablishment here ; it is es- 
pecially a Church of England University. An address 
was read and answered, presentations were made, and 
we visited the library, which is young and small. Then 
we drove to the lunatic asylum and went over it. It is 
a very fine one, with broad corridors, widening out into 
comfortable recesses, in which the people sit. At each 
end of the passage is a covered quarter-deck, barred all 
round, but otherwise open to the air, where the inmates 
can walk, and which provides a perfect means of airing 
each floor. One new feature in this asylum is a paying 
department, which is of course cheap, although it has 
all the comforts of a private asylum. We had a dinner- 
party of twenty-four : one M. P. and his wife, two legal 
gentlemen, two R. C. bishops, a Volunteer colonel, the 
editor of a newspaper with his pretty little wife, who 
sang for us, some members of the Government, and 
some of the Board of Trade. 

Friday^ i8th. — D. and I drove to the City Hall to re- 
ceive an address from the " York Pioneers " — Toronto 
used to be called " York," and these are the first settlers 
here. After lunch we went to the University, where D. 
gave away the prizes, and made a speech. The hall 
was filled with all the beauty and fashion of Toronto : 
they complimented me, and D. complimented them, and 
the proceedings went off very well. This is a great 
place for presents — a very friendly custom. I have 
fruit, flowers, butter, fancy bread, fish, and game sent 
me constantly. Nearly every day brings some offering. 
The Show sent me apples and pears — a few of each 
kind, arranged so as to have some every day of the 
year. 

Saturday^ igth. — In the afternoon I went for a sail 



OCT. 1872 ''NOT AT home:* 45 

with D., and in the evening we had a large party of 
about 150 people. 

Monday, 21st. — This morning we inspected some Ro- 
man Catholic Schools. The first place we went to was 
the Convent of the " Precious Blood." I think I told 
you about this order of praying nuns — it is very strict, 
and they use corporal self-punishments. The dress of 
the nuns is beautiful — a white dress, with a broad piece 
of blood-red colored cashmere hanging straight down 
both the back and the front of it, and a black veil on 
the head. Their beds are boards, and they get up twice 
in the night to pray. They looked very well, and quite 
merry. The second place was a college for boys, and 
the third a convent school. We also went to look at the 
cathedral. 

There happened a great contretemps this afternoon. 
I was to be at home to receive visitors ; so Lady Harriet 
and I sat in state, and nobody came ! At five D. re- 
turned home, and I said to him, " Not a single soul has 
come to see us." Tea came in, and he asked, " Has 
nobody called ? " " Oh, yes," said the servant, " but I 
said, *■ Not at home.' " We sent for the book, and found 
104 people had been, so we had to sit down and write 
104 notes to explain. I had a dinner-party in the even- 
ing, and, luckily, no one seems to have been offended, 
though our conduct did look rude this afternoon. 
We had a great deal of music after dinner. All the 
young ladies sing and play without their music, and are 
very good-natured about it. 

Wednesday, 23d. — D. visited the National Schools in 
the morning, and after lunch I went with him to finish 
the Roman Catholic institutions. We drove to the Lo- 
retto Abbey Convent, where the girls were dressed in 
white and blue. They gave us a little concert, and then 
all passed round, each making a courtesy to us. We were 



46 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. iil 

laden with bouquets, and the rooms were ornamented 
with " welcomes " and wreaths of maple. The next 
place was a " House of Providence," where old, incur- 
able, orphans, and sick, are all cared for. The third 
visit was to a boys' school under the Christian Brothers. 

Thursday^ 24th. — I went over the Toronto Hospital 
this morning — a fine building and well managed, but 
badly off for funds. D. was engaged to inspect two 
fashionable young ladies' schools, and is not home yet. 
To-night we have an enormous ball. 

Friday, 2^th. — Our ball last night was a great suc- 
cess. The Parliament buildings, in which it took place, 
were arranged for us by the Ontario Government. We 
had two ballrooms, both ornamented with a good deal 
of crimson drapery, arms and shields, which lighted up 
very well. The supper-room was upstairs. I suppose 
we had about 1,200 guests. There was not a hitch in 
the arrangements, and people looked very nice and 
fresh. I danced all the square dances, and D. every 
dance, with a selection of celebrities. When the pro- 
gramme was over, " God save the Queen " was played, 
and we stood on the dais while the people passed out 
before us. 

D. had to be off to a college at eleven this morning, 
but I was lazy, and reserved myself till one, when we 
went to the Law Courts to lunch. The building, " Os- 
goode Hall," is fine, and the courts much better than 
any I have seen — lofty and comfortable rooms. We had 
our healths drunk, and D. told them the one blot he 
had discovered in Canadian affairs was the lowness of 
the judges' salaries ; this, of course, the company pres- 
ent were very glad to hear. 

Saturday, 26th. — There were to have been athletic 
sports to-day, special trains, etc., but there is a steady 
downpour and they have been put off till Monday. I 



OCT. 1872 SUNDA Y SCHOOLS. ^y 

received a good many farewell visits, and in the evening 
we went to a performance at the theatre for the Protes- 
tant orphans. The theatre is small, but very pretty, and 
" London Assurance " was very well given — especially 
the part of Lady Gay Spanker, by Mrs. Morrison. She 
presented me with a splendid bouquet in which my 
monogram was made in shamrocks. 

Sunday, 2'jth. — This morning, at ten, we visited a Sun- 
day-school. Very great attention is paid to Sunday- 
schools in Canada, and the children of all classes attend 
them. There was a separate room for infants, and the 
man teaching them gave his instruction orally and with 
a blackboard, upon which he wrote : the children an- 
swered all together, and seemed bright and intelligent. 
They also sang hymns. The larger children were down- 
stairs. D. made them a little address, and we heard 
them sing too, which they do extremely well. This was 
the cathedral school, and the average attendance every 
Sunday is 500. There is a class every week for the 
teachers, and the same lesson is given all over the school. 

Monday, 28th. — We left Toronto at nine, and a num- 
ber of people came to see us off, and cheered our depart- 
ing train. We had a twelve hours' journey, and were 
glad to reach Ottawa. 

Ottawa : Tuesday, 2gth. — My poor children have had a 
very long journey : they arrived at Quebec on Monday, 
after a rough passage from Liverpool, and did not get 
here till this evening, when I devoted myself to giving 
them tea, putting them to bed, and hearing them chatter. 

Wednesday, joth. — The weather is perfectly lovely, and 
the children are well and enjoying the fine day. 

Mr. Coulson goes on leave, so Fred at once begins his 
duties as A, D. C, but he comes in for a time of rest. 



CHAPTER IV. 

OTTAWA. 

Saturday^ November 2d. — The journal here will grow 
very dull, I fear. We are " settling down," and do very- 
little that is interesting. 

Ottawa is a small town, with incongruously beautiful 
buildings crowning its insignificance. A very bad road 
leads to Rideau, which is a long, two-storied villa, 
with a small garden on one side of it and a hedge which 
bounds our property on the other — so that at this time 
of the year there is really no place to walk. When the 
" road-maker," as they call the frost, comes, and when 
the ground is covered with snow, we shall be independ- 
ent of roads ; and the knowledge of this makes the in- 
habitants careless of the state they may be in at other 
times of the year. 

The gentlemen try to ride every day, and come back 
covered with mud. I walked into the town one day with 
D., and the following paragraph appeared in the evening 
paper: 

" Lady Dufferin. — It would astonish some of our fine 
ladies to see Lady Dufferin walking about the town. She 
dresses plainly and sensibly, wears thick boots, and does 
not shrink from the muddiest of our crossings." 

This comes of my Irish training ! 

Monday, 4th. — Directly after lunch, Fred and I began 



NOV. 1872 RIDE A U HALL. ^g 

our duties. I was " at home," and he announced the 
visitors and helped me to talk to them. We had 108. I 
was pleased with the society, and Ottawa itself improves 
on acquaintance, especially as I have discovered a 
nice common and wood behind the house, where the 
children will be very happy. Mr. Archibald,* Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of Manitoba, and the Pattissons dined 
with us. 

In addition to his social duties, Fred has to look 
after all the stable matters, expenditure included, after 
the invitations, the amusements, such as skating-rink, 
etc., etc., so he is not idle. 

Tuesday, ^th. — The little ones, Basil and Hermie, ar- 
rived from Quebec, looking well and merry. It is nice 
to be all together again. 

Saturday, pth. — The weather is lovely, and I gener- 
ally walk in and out of town. After lunch, games of 
football, stilts, hoops, etc., go on. We have five-o'clock 
tea, and family gatherings, the babies first, and then the 
old children. 

The house gets on very slowly ; the hall door is still 
boarded up, the schoolroom full of workmen who do not 
work, the gas-pipes still innocent of gas. I suppose we 
shall be settled by January. The Fletchers' house will, 
I hope, be ready for them in a few days, and when they 
get into it we shall feel more settled ourselves. At 
present they are staying with us. 

Sunday, loth. — We went to our very small parish 
church at New Edinburgh. It is very primitive, but we 
like the service, and it is so much nearer to us than the 
cathedral. 

Monday, iith.—W& took a walk to prepare for the 
labors of the afternoon. Between three and five I re,- 



Sir Adams George Archibald, K. C. M. G, 



50 MY CA^NADIAiV JOURNAL, CH. IV 

celved 144 visitors ; Fred, Lady Harriet, and Mrs. Pat- 
tisson helping me. 

T/itcrsday, 14th. — This is Thanksgiving Day, so we 
went to church at the cathedral, but (as the papers tell 
us) we did it in an *' unostentatious manner." The first 
snow fell. 

Friday^ iSth. — A telegram arrived from Australia, the 
first which has been sent direct: it arrived at 9.10 this 
morning, having been sent at 10 — to-night. Rather 
puzzling to think of. D. replied, "Canada re-echoes 
Australia's toast — our Queen and a United Empire." 

Sunday, lyth. — A beautiful ideal winter day : the 
ground and trees white with snow, blue sky, and bright 
sun. We went to church, and the children were unable 
to resist some of the pleasure of a first day of snow, and 
tumbled about in it as though it were sand. 

You should see them all five m blanket coats, which 
are made of thick blue cloth, with red epaulets and 
sashes, and pointed hoods lined and piped with red. 
The coats are very long and straight, and the little fig- 
ures in them look both funny and picturesque. They 
have sealskin turbans, and pull up the hoods if neces- 
sary. We all wear moccasins on our feet ; they are of 
cloth, with india-rubber soles, and generally with a flower 
embroidered in colors on the toes. The only drawback 
to going out here is the amount of dressing one has to 
do to prepare for it. There are over-stockings, over- 
boots, over-etcs. of all descriptions to be put on ; there 
are fur caps with woolen clouds tied over them as becom- 
ingly as possible, fur coats, fur gloves, muffs, etc., etc. 
But once out it is delightful, and most exhilarating. 

We have been tobogganing, though the snow is not 
deep yet, and our present efforts are very amateurish. 
We sit, stand, or lie on a straight board which is curled 
up at one end, and slide down snow-covered hills. The 



NOV. 1872 TOBOGGANING. 5 1 

children enjoy it immensely, and have splendid exercise 
pulling their little sleighs, or toboggans, up the hill 
again. 

The "Black Rod," Mr. Kimber, was one of our 
guests at dinner to-night. He sang us one of Figaro's 
songs, acting it with great spirit, and amusing us very 
much. He also sang some very pretty Canadian boat- 
songs. Another guest was Miss Griffin, a lady who 
acted in a play with Dickens at Montreal twenty years 
ago. 

Wednesday^ 20th. — D., Colonel Fletcher, Fred, and Mr. 
Campbell (D.'s short-hand writer, and a very favorite 
member of the Staff), went to Montreal. 

Saturday^ 23d. — I had a long letter from D., giving 
me an account of his doings. After a long journey on 
Wednesday, they reached Montreal in the evening, and 
were conducted by the Mayor and Sir Hugh Allan to 
the latter's house. 

On Thursday D. unveiled the Queen's statue, and in 
the evening he danced all night at a ball, never flagging 
till four in the morning, and being pronounced "a brick " 
by the young ladies of Montreal. He had a dinner at a 
club on Friday, and returned here to-day, fatigued but 
pleased. We are both going to Montreal in January for 
a " season." 

Wednesday^ 2yth. — We are gradually settling down in 
our house, and are dragging from obscure packing-cases 
the few ornaments that have emigrated with us. I have 
set up a boudoir, and in it I put all my favorite things, 
so as to have one home-like sanctum. The state-rooms 
continue, I fear, to have a hopelessly company look. 

We had a dinner-party of twenty-six, a great number 
of Ministers among them. There is no clock (going) in 
the drawing-room, so my guests fidgeted off before ten, 
and had to wait in the cloak-room for their carriages. 



52 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. iv 

When one person moves, they all go, and it is useless to 
say, " Do stay." 

There was snow in the afternoon, and we are getting 
up the double windows. Most people have not only the 
extra windows, but stuff cotton wool into every crevice. 
Their houses are very hot. 

Tuesday, December jd. — Yesterday I went for my first 
drive in a sleigh. I think I shall like it very much when 
there is a little more snow : it is rather rough at present. 

I will tell you how we pass an ordinary day. We 
breakfast at nine, then separate to our various offices 
and places of business. Fred goes to the stables, and 
afterward helps to write invitations, though Mr. Coul- 
son manages the society at present. At eleven they all 
go into town. We lunch at one — the children and I 
generally alone, the gentlemen returning when they like. 
After lunch we go out : in this weather it is a duty, but 
later, I think, we shall have great fun out of doors. On 
our return we have tea, and books, and children ; dinner 
at 7.30. The Fletchers come often, and we have either 
one or two large dinners every week. 

Wednesday, 4th. — I put on snow-shoes for the first 
time. One's foot looks like a dot in the center of a 
large racket, and I expected to trip up on my own 
shoes; but I found it quite easy to walk with them, and 
very amusing. Without them one has to keep in the 
middle of the beaten track on the roads, but with them 
one can walk on the deepest snow. 

Friday, 6th. — Sir John and Lady Macdonald are stay- 
ing with us for two nights In the morning I took 
Lady Macdonald and Lady Harriet for a sleigh-drive, 
and in the afternoon we all rested for the coming dinner- 
party. We had twenty-eight guests. 

One of them, a senator and mill-owner employing 
500 laborers all the year round at high wages, told me 



DEC. 1872 CANADIAN CELEBRITIES. 5^ 

that when he came here himself he earned ten shillings 
a month. Mr. Tod, the librarian here, was another 
guest. He is the author of the best book on the British 
Constitution. Then there was a railway celebrity, a 
very nice man, who got out of a sick bed to come : he 
brought with him a pleasant sister-in-law and a very 
pretty daughter. Sir Hugh Allan also dined with us, 
and Sir Francis Hincks. 

Saturday^ 7th. — Lady Macdonald left, and I went out 
to see some tobogganing. The high hill is sufficiently 
covered with snow now, and the children are very brave 
about going down it. They start at the top and go 
bumping and jumping all the way down, sometimes 
tumbling over into the snow at the bottom, and some- 
times going along the level ground for a good distance. 
To-day they looked so odd, all covered with snow, while 
the gentlemen's beards, eyelashes, and hair, had the snow 
frozen into them. The thermometer was 10° below zero, 
but the day was bright, and we did not feel the cold at 
all. Toiling up the hill and pulling the toboggan after 
one, is hard work. 

Monday^ gth. — One of my exhausting " at home " 
days. My labors began at 1.30, for I had the managers 
of a concert I am getting up to lunch, and went on till 
six — a steady flow of visitors. It was a very cold day — 
luckily for the conversation required of me — and ninety- 
three varieties of " How cold you must have found your 
drive ! " did I invent. On these occasions D. comes in 
when all is over and asks " what news we have heard," 
and we always have to say that we have heard nothing. 
I generally keep Monday evening sacred to repose, but 
to-day we were obliged to invite travelers, and two 
Torontonians, the Pattissons and Fletchers making up 
twelve. Our tourists came to America for ten months, 
but have found traveling so very expensive that they 



54 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. IV 

have to hurry home at the end of four. Their bill for 
ten days at a New York hotel was 150/. 

Tuesday^ loth. — D. had invited these young men to 
come and toboggan, and it made me freeze to look at 
their costume : knickerbockers, no gloves, thin boots, 
English hats ! — when flannel, and cloth trousers, boots 
of cloth with india-rubber soles, fur gloves, and fur hats 
are necessary. I only hope they won't be laid up with 
" pains." One foolish footman of ours who came out 
in the carriage with cotton socks and leather boots, has 
had a fearful attack of acute inflammatory rheumatism, 
and two Sisters of Mercy are now nursing him. Yester- 
day, Terence, having a hole in one of his gloves, came 
home with his finger frost-bitten, and Nelly had two 
suspicious -white spots in her face : they were rubbed 
with snow, and are all right. 

Wednesday, nth. — I had half an hour's skating: the 
first time we have been able to use the rink. The 
weather was very cold, but bright, and the snow hard 
and dry. I did not do much, as we had a dinner in the 
evening, for which it is necessary to be fresh. 

Saturday, 14th. — This has been one of our regular 
Ottawa weeks. After the Wednesday's dinner a quiet 
night ; then a visit from a Minister and his wife. Dr.* 
and Mrs. Tupper, who remained the night ; and a visit 
the next night from two Ministers and one wife — Mon- 
sieur Langevin, and Mr. and Mrs. Howe ; these latter 
preferred returning home to sleep, either because they 
liked their own stove side, or because the next day was 
Mr. Howe's seventieth birthday. He was a violent poli- 
tician, but is less active now, and is talked of as a prob- 
able Lieutenant-Governor for Nova Scotia. 

We are working at our out-door rink, and find it 

* Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., G. C. M. G. 



DEC. 1872 MAKING A RINK. 55 

rather troublesome to manage. An Englishman ex- 
claims, " Flood it ! " but this is just the difficulty, for 
the water freezes as it touches the ice, and will not 
*' flood it " ; and if, by having a circle of barrels round 
the space and upsetting them all at the same time, we 
do succeed in covering it with water, and go happy to 
bed dreaming of beautiful ice and a capital skate, we 
wake in the morning to find either that it has snowed, 
or that the wind has blown old snow over the rink, 
which a ray of sunshine having partially melted, has 
stuck hard to our lovely ice, and there we are longing to 
skate and obliged to begin ^'' au deluge " again. 

Wednesday^ i8th. — We had a ball. The room was 
well lighted and looked well, the supper (by the new 
cook) was very good, and I hope every one was happy. 
Sir Hugh and Miss Allan arrived for it, and remain till 
Saturday ! Colonel Fletcher was told that " Mr. Hamil- 
ton will be spoiled here, people like him so much." 

Friday^ 20th. — A great snowstorm. I was to have 
gone to a mission service in church, but I could not face 
the weather. D. did go, and afterward inspected the 
Christian Brothers' school, received addresses, etc. 

Monday^ 23d. — This morning we visited the Grey 
Sisters, and saw their school. Then I came home and 
arranged my concert-room with stage, etc. 

The Belgian Minister at Washington arrived in time 
for an early dinner, and is staying with us. At eight 
the singers arrived, and began to dress, and at 8.30 the 
listeners came pouring in, were cordially greeted by His 
Ex. and Her Ex. at the door, and were seated by oblig- 
ing A. D. C.'s and secretaries. 

The music began at nine — it really was very good, 
and the acting admirable ! The costumes were perfect, 
and every one was delighted with the two hours' amuse- 
ment. 



56 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. iv 

I allowed the three children to be present, and they 
enjoyed it immensely. Terence was in fits over " Fi- 
garo," and in great anxiety the whole time to under- 
stand everything. We had supper at eleven, and the 
whole entertainment was considered a great success. 

Tuesday^ 24th. — Oh ! this really is cold ; two ears, two 
faces, two knees, and one finger frozen in our family. 
We are 22° below zero, and are devoted to our clouds, 
in which we wallow. In spite of this we skate, but we 
are very thankful to think that we are feeling the worst 
cold we need expect here. 

Christ?7ias Day. — Thermometer 20° below zero. Pro- 
prieties out of the question — must go to church in seal- 
skin turbans, and must undress when we get there, as we 
sit near the stove ; so that when we leave, the amount 
of things to be put on is frightful. There are my cloak, 
and my cloud, fur gauntlets, and woolen cuffs; there are 
Archie's coat, and his cloud, and turban, and gloves. 
Then Fred and D. have to be clothed ; happily, every 
one in the church is equally busy muffling up. D., you 
will be surprised to hear, wears absolutely less than he 
used to do in May at home, and scarcely seems to feel 
the cold at all. Fred, too, bears it well, with the excep- 
tion of his ears, about which he is decidedly nervous. 
He is always feeling them and inquiring from passers-by 
whether they are frozen. The children play in the snow 
as if it were hay, and enjoy themselves immensely. 
Their nurse, Mrs. Hall, dislikes the wrapping up, but 
has been consoled by a present of a pair of skates. 
Their governess is learning too ; she won't wrap up, and 
I really fear some accident for her: nothing but a frost- 
bite will make her careful. 

We have arranged a Christmas-tree, and this even- 
ing all the children of the family assembled for it. They 
came at five, and the nine of them, with their gov- 



DEC. 1872 SKA TING. cy 

ernesses and nurses, were ushered into the room with 
great ceremony. Hermie rushed at a doll. " There is 
my doll," and kissed it most fervently. Of course they 
all got various presents, and the big ones dined with us, 
and afterward played blind man's buff, snapdragon, etc., 
etc. 

The pictures have arrived, and are a great improve- 
ment to the house. In my room I have drawings of 
Killyleagh and Clandeboye, and there are a few oil- 
portraits in the dining-room, which make it look home- 
like. We shall be quite sorry to go away next week, to 
undertake a long journey in the snow, and to be a month 
in hotels. 

Mr. Pattisson's Irish cook came to tell him that, hav- 
ing had her hand severely burned and blistered by lifting 
a cold iron pot, she would go home by next steamer. 
He pretends there is not one to go in. 

Friday^ 2'/th. — We continue every day to practice our 
skating. I can get on very well with ordinary skating. 
D. can go backward and do the figure of eight. Fred 
is beginning the outside edge, and is studying the art 
with great care. The children are not industrious : they 
find making snow houses and tobogganing much more 
amusing than lamely shuffling over the ice, so I think 
they will be long in learning. 

Saturday^ 28th. — This morning we visited the " Con- 
gregation de Notre Dame," an educational convent, 
where Nelly was shown a Christmas-tree, and told to 
choose what she liked best on it. In spite of my nudges, 
truth would out, and she took a very pretty doll instead 
of the insignificant present I was trying to suggest to 
her. 

Directly after lunch I went down to the Rink to re- 
ceive my skating-party. It went off extremely well. 
Some of the young people skated most beautifully, Miss 



58 



MY CA NADIA N JO URNAL. CH. iv 



Patrick and Miss Kingsford, two very pretty girls, being 
the best performers. Skating is so very graceful when 
well done, and the scene on the Rink is so gay ; every one 
moving about so fast on the ice, and knots of people 
tobogganing down the hill behind. I had on my skates, 
but did not feel equal to skating before such experts. 

When it became cold, we came into the house, drank 
tea and mulled claret, and danced for an hour. We in- 
tend to repeat these parties once a week. The dancing 
was quite a surprise this time, but of course it will be 
expected now, and parcels of shoes and various decora- 
tions will be brought next Saturday, which were dis- 
pensed with on this occasion. 

Monday, 30th. — I think the pleasures of sleighing are 
exaggerated ; it appears to me much the same as driving 
in a cart. You have no springs, and the snow gets into 
hard, rough ruts. This is treason : one ought to be en- 
thusiastic over its delights. The bells and the red 
plumes on the horses' backs are the best of it, I think. 

Wednesday^ January z, 18'js. — New Year's Day is 
kept here as a visiting-day. All the ladies stay at home, 
and all the gentlemen visit. D. and I were " at home " 
from three to five and received 293 men. 

It was a most lovely day, warm and bright, with only 
ten degrees of frost, which seems to us quite like a thaw ! 
With the exception of a few days at Christmas, we have 
been perfectly comfortable : the house is so warm, and 
we are so well wrapped up when we go out, that we can 
not feel cold. 



CHAPTER V. 

MONTREAL. 

Sf. Lawrence Hall : Sunday^ January ^th. — We left 
Rideau yesterday, had dinner at Prescott, and reached 
Montreal at night. A very successful winter journey, 
for had the snow been troublesome we might have been 
days e?t route. The Mayor met us, and we drove to this 
hotel, where we have taken rooms for a month. Our 
own cook and servants arrive early in the week and ar- 
range everything, while we go down to Quebec for a 
ball. The rooms we have here are very clean, but very 
hotel-like, stiff and starch, and I shall not feel much at 
home when I receive my guests in them. 

Mo7iday, 6th. — We went early to the Rink, which we 
were curious to see. It is a great place, 250 feet long, 
of smooth, dull-looking ice, which reminds one of wax, 
and which is covered with scrapings cut off by the 
skates ; there is a raised walk round the ice for non- 
skaters, and a gallery at one end. The roof is arched. 
Most of the skaters were children of four years old and 
upwards, going backwards and forwards, Dutch rolling, 
making eights — looking as if they had been born on 
skates. There was only one young lady there, very 
pretty and a splendid performer. Her skating is the 
most beautiful, graceful thing one can see. Skating is 
particularly pretty for ladies, as the dress hides the ma- 



6o ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. v 

chinery which is visible when men skate. An in-door 
rink is dull, however, I think, compared to skating out 
of doors. 

We went down to the station at ii p. m. D. and I had 
two good bedrooms, and the others had beds in a Pull- 
man car. Mrs. Dent had a sofa in the sitting-room, and 
His Ex.'s short-hand writer, finding he was expected to 
occupy a couch opposite to my fair maid, shyly jumped 
into it with his hat on, which I suppose he considered 
gave an air of respectability to the proceeding. Dent 
was giggling at him under her rug, and was still more 
amused when, later, the hat of propriety rolled off, and 
the little man pulled his clothes right over his head. 

Tuesday^ yth. — We awoke in time to have a cup of 
tea at a passing station, and arrived at Quebec at 
twelve. 

The morning was lovely, and the Citadel, the river, 
and Quebec looked so picturesque, with the sun shining 
on the snow. We crossed in the steamer, cutting through 
ice, and were accompanied by the Mayor. We drove up 
to the hotel over the most bumpy roads — the snow is in 
great mounds, and the jump from one hill to another is 
quite amusing: it is like hunting on wheels. The warm 
reception we met with was very pleasant. 

We went to the Rink after breakfast. The band was 
playing, and there was some very good skating, but too 
many children, who get in the way and make beginners 
nervous. 

Wednesday, 8th. — This morning we again went to the 
Rink, where D. is practicing hard, aided by all the young 
ladies of Quebec, who give him lessons in turn. In the 
afternoon we opened a poultry show, and I examined 
each scrubby fowl, and made the most of my home expe- 
rience. This place in winter is not suited to poultry, and 
their plumage shows that they are shut up in stables. 



JAN. 1873 CITIZENS' BALL. 61 

The Citizens' Ball took place to-night. It is one 
given for us by the city, and for which we were invited 
to return when we left in the autumn. It was a splendid 
entertainment. The room was decorated with our colors, 
and with wreaths of roses, and there was a large recep- 
tion committee, who took great care of me all the even- 
ing. 

Thursday^ gth. — An excursion to Montmorency was 
arranged for to-day, but I did not go. At noon, forty- 
two sleighs, each driving a tandem, came to the door, 
and D. got into the first in a snowstorm. The weather 
cleared later, and they drove twelve miles, had lunch, 
visited the Fall, and were back by dusk. They enjoyed 
it very much, though they came in very cold. 

D. and I dined alone, and then went off to a skating 
ball. The Rink was lighted up, and hung with flags and 
lanterns, and there were regular dancing programmes. 
It was a very pretty sight. I can't conceive anything 
more graceful than the lancers skated ; waltzing also is 
pretty, but few people, even here, can do it. I had a 
very comfortable seat, and sat there with a never-ceas- 
ing stream of figures passing before me. 

D. skated a good deal at the ball, and Fred took 
some turns with the young ladies hand-in-hand round 
the place, but they did not dance. I went round twice, 
but am not a good enough skater for these public dem- 
onstrations. 

Friday, lotk. — After some skating, I proceeded to the 
grating at the Ursuline Convent to thank the nuns for 
some lovely specimens of their work, which they sent me 
as a New Year's gift. Then I came home and " received " 
farewell visits. All at Quebec, both in " society " and 
in the streets, are so nice to us — they are very home- 
like. We left the hotel in the evening, crossed the river, 
and had our special car, in which we first had tea and 



62 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. v 

whist, and then we went to bed, while Fred and Mr. 
Coulson attended " a party " in the next carriage. 

Saturday, nth. — We arrived at Montreal in time for 
breakfast, skated, and had interviews with the Mayor 
and various officials, but our work only begins on Mon- 
day. 

Monday, ijth. — D. visited a hospital, the Law Courts, 
and some churches after lunch. In the evening we had 
a Drawing-room, There were about i,ooo people at it. 

Tuesday, 14th. — We skated and visited a school in 
the morning, and at night had our first dinner here — 
twenty-eight people : Bishop Oxenden and his wife, the 
Mayor and his wife, and others. Our drawing-room is 
small for so many, but they left early, as we were going 
to a ball at a Mons. Papineau's — the first private enter- 
tainment I have been to in Canada. His wife must 
have been handsome, with brown eyes and white hair 
powdered. They have a pretty house, and the ball was 
pleasant. 

Wednesday, i^th. — This evening we attended a snow- 
shoe torchlight procession given in our honor. At eight 
o'clock the president of the society came for us, and we 
drove out until we met the " snow-shoes." They wore 
white blanket coats, tight leggings, and red caps, and 
the sight really was very picturesque and very Canadian : 
the bright night, the snow-covered ground, hundreds of 
sleighs and thousands of tmkling bells, the torches, and 
the gayety of the whole scene, were delightful. The 
procession walked up the mountain, and we drove round 
it, watching the fiery serpent winding among the trees. 
The roads were excellent, and it was the first sleigh- 
drive I have really enjoyed. In about an hour we ar- 
rived at a house where supper was prepared, and where 
we had a very amusing evening. There was a long list 
of toasts, and a song with a chorus was sung after each. 



Jan. 1873 MONTREAL. 5^ 

There was the usual amount of compliments to the 
country, to us, to the Mayor, to everybody. Canada 
was the finest country, the Canadians the finest people. 
His Excellency worthy to be a Canadian, Her Excel- 
lency most excellent, the Mayor admirable, the Mayor- 
ess most hospitable, our hosts . . . words failed ! When 
the Mayor got up to return thanks, he said that "As 
Canadians, we have one fault — we are too fond of prais- 
ing ourselves ; but in this case it is sincere." When all 
was over, we got into our sleigh again, and the fresh air 
was delightful ! The snow-shoers were by this time 
"jolly good fellows," and I found them rather alarming 
to our horses and to me ; so we begged them not to ac- 
company us home, and I think they were not sorry to 
return to the supper-room. 

Thursday^ i6th. — I may tell you, once for all, that we 
spend the morning in the Rink. 

This afternoon we visited a Catholic commercial 
school — really a well-arranged building. The boys 
have a very good string band, and between addresses 
we had some music. 

We had a large dinner in the evening : Sir Francis 
and Miss Hincks were of the party. I fear it was not 
lively, but what can one do in a small room with thirty 
strangers ? 

Saturday, i8th. — After our morning skate we came 
home in a snowstorm, and then out again to a benevo- 
lent institution where old women and orphan children 
are lodged, and the latter educated. We had tea with 
the Bishop and Mrs. Oxenden. They have a very nice 
house, and they had collected a little party to meet us ; 
but we had rather to hurry away, as it was snowing 
hard, and we had to dress for a dinner-party. It was to 
have been a small one, but stretched out to twenty-four, 
and was, I thought, the pleasantest we have had here. 



64 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. V 

Monday^ 20th. — This was rather a hard day. Sir 
Hugh Allan and M. Delfosse came to breakfast at nine, 
and D. went off to be photographed for a paper dollar 
immediately after. At eleven we proceeded to the Rink, 
and only returned for His Ex. to receive an address from 
the Board of Trade. 

When that deputation was dismissed, we drove to a 
Protestant deaf-and-dumb institution, which was a very 
good one ; but it was the wrong one as far as I was con- 
cerned, as that I wished to see was the Catholic estab- 
lishment, where the deaf-mutes are taught to speak. 

A refuge for old people was the next institution on 
our list, and we only got home for a short rest before a 
big dinner. I enjoyed the evening, and some nice peo- 
ple dined with us. 

Tuesday^ 21st. — Miss Allan came to lunch with me, 
and D. and I drove in state to M'Gill College. Here 
our horses were taken out by the students, and we were 
dragged up to the door. Speeches were made, and we 
were shown everything of interest ; but while D. was 
taken to the dissecting-room, I went to have tea with the 
ladies. D. afterwards visited the Normal School by him- 
self. We dined with the Mayor, and as we stepped out 
in the snow to get into a great, lumbering, covered 
sleigh, we greatly rejoiced that the most of our Canadian 
gayeties are in our own home. 

The Mayor has a nice house, and there was a splendid 
display of flowers on his table ; in fact, I believe he had 
bought every flower in Montreal for the occasion. 

Wednesday^ 22d. — I stayed at home the whole day, 
and disappointed the Jesuits, whom His Ex. went to see, 
and who sent me magnificent bouquets. They have a 
fine church and college here, and are celebrated for their 
music. 

We had (of course) a dinner-party. D. took in a 



Jan. i873 ''MONKLANDSr 65 

bride, and I had a senator and a judge on either side of 
me. 

Thursday^ 23d. — At ten D. v/ent to a military school, 
and had the rest of the day for amusing himself with 
skating and curling. We had another large dinner : 130 
people will have dined with us this week, most of whom 
are quite new acquaintances. 

Friday^ 24th. — There was a tremendous snowstorm 
to-day, but we had an appointment to visit " Monklands," 
a large educational convent some distance from the town, 
so we had to make the best of our way there, and really 
experienced something of a snowdrift : in places it was 
quite difficult for the horses to drag the sleigh along, 
and they were '' floundering " about, while the coach- 
man was shading his eyes from the snow, and we all had 
to cover our faces and take as much care of ourselves as 
was possible. 

^' Monklands " used to be the Governor-General's 
house when the Government was at Montreal. I believe 
the situation is fine, but it must have been too far from 
the town for a Government House. It has been en- 
larged, and now contains 22 nuns and 150 pupils. 

After seeing the nuns and the household arrange- 
ments, we were ushered into the " theatre," or school- 
room, where a stage presented itself to our view, upon 
which the 150 young ladies, dressed in white, were 
courtesying, and whence proceeded sounds of harps, 
pianos, and harmoniums. The usual pretty little enter- 
tainment followed, and D. and I both answered ad- 
dresses. 

When this was over, poor " His Ex." had to visit a 
college; but, in mercy to myself, the horses, and the 
men-servants, I came straight home. 

We had a small dinner, and were tolerably merry. 
One of our young ladies turned out to be a " blue-stock- 
6 



66 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. v 

ing," and amused us much by laying down the law to the 
company, 

Saturday, 2^th. — I took a drive along the river to pre- 
pare for the labors of the afternoon, being " at home." 
We began to receive at three, and had a stream of visit- 
ors till 5.30. I had not much time except for shaking 
hands, and all my conversation was " How do you do ?" 
" How cold you must be ! " " Good-by ! " A funny lit- 
tle American woman, traveling alone with her maid, 
came and looked in at the door to see me; then she 
thought she would come in, so she went home and 
changed her hat for her bonnet and returned. She asked 
for ''my husband," and invited us both to Philadelphia. 
She looked small and thin enough to blow away, and 
Fred found her afterwards almost fainting from the ex- 
ertion of her visit. 

Monday, 2yth. — After skating, I brought Miss Allan 
back to lunch, and we went to a chemical lecture. It 
was given to ladies, and I am patroness of the associa- 
tion. I then went on to the Protestant Infants' Home. 
D. visited the Montreal Waterworks. 

We had a dinner of thirty-six — our last here. The 
children arrived at midnight, looking extremely well. 

Tuesday, 28th. — We all went to visit a large convent 
called Hochelaga. It is a fine building, and contains a 
very beautiful chapel copied from one in Rome. We 
heard the organ played and the novices sing. 

In the evening there was the " citizens' " ball given 
in our honor. There was an excellent ball-room, with an 
enormous supper-room off it. An arrangement was 
made at one end of it, like the canon's stall in a cathe- 
dral : these were lined with green, and decorated with 
the antelope and heart, our motto, etc., etc. ; in each a 
chair, but only one stall was used all the night, and that 
by me. The whole room was ornamented with flags 



JAN. 1873 THE RINK. 6^ 

and " V. R.s " and " D.s," and was very pretty. There 
was a state quadrille first, of enormous length, reaching 
the whole way down the room, and with us and the 
Mayor alone at the ends. I enjoyed my share of the 
evening very much, and danced all the squares before 
supper, leaving very soon after. An official list of 
partners was made out for D., and he remained dancing 
with dowagers until four o'clock in the morning. 

Wednesday^ 2pth. — D. had relaxation to-day, skating 
and curling, and I did some business, and went over the 
R. C. Deaf-and-dumb Institutions. 

These were very interesting, as the poor creatures 
are being taught to speak, and very successfully too. 
There are separate establishments for the boys and 
girls, and the master showed us the whole system of 
teaching. 

This is a cold, bright day, 20° below zero. 

I spent the evening with the children, D. and staff 
having gone to a night-tobogganing party and dance. 
The former returned at twelve, and the young ones 
not till nearly three. They enjoyed it, but thought it a 
dangerous amusement in the dark, and Mr. Coulson had 
the sleeves completely cut out of his coat by a toboggan 
coming down on the top of him. 

Thursday^ 30th. — The fancy-dress skating ball took 
place in the evening, and was a most beautiful sight, be- 
sides being great fun. 

We drove to the Rink wearing morning dress, and 
went out on a balcony to look down upon the scene. 
It was like a fairy pantomime of gigantic size, and was 
most striking. The building was hung with flags and 
Chinese lanterns, and from one end to the other there 
were gayly-dressed figures of every sort and variety 
moving about with that easy, graceful swing which be- 
longs to skating. When we went downstairs we were 



68 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. v 

conducted to the farther end of the Rink, where a plat- 
form and chairs at the edge of the ice were prepared 
for us. 

Here we stood, while the two sets of "state" lancers 
were danced in front of us. One was a poudre set : 
each couple skated in, bowed to us as they passed, and 
took their places. I think 1 have already told you how 
beautiful the lancers are when skated, and you can 
imagine how the addition of costume increases their 
beauty : I never saw anything half so pretty. When 
they were over D. and Fred put on dominoes, and skated 
off too. I collected a few friends under my canopy, 
the children sat on the edge of it, and we were amused 
the whole evening watching the different characters as 
they came before us. There was one delightful old 
gentleman who passed us every round in some different 
way, acting capitally the whole time. There was an ex- 
cellent and large monkey, who performed for the chil- 
dren. There were Indians and Chinamen, cavaliers, 
etc., etc. The ladies' costumes had of necessity short 
petticoats, so there was every variety of peasant — Dolly 
Vardens, Watteaus, etc., etc. — and very pretty they 
were ! In fact, to an ordinary fancy ball you have to 
add perpetual motion — for no one ever stands still on 
the ice. The spectators lined the walls. We were torn 
away to have some supper, and after it I sat on the up- 
per balcony to see the general effect. They danced 
another set of lancers, and " Sir Roger de Coverley." I 
am sure that if they had not turned the Governor-Gen- 
eral out, by playing " God save the Queen," I never 
should have been able to get him away, he enjoyed it so 
much. 

Friday, jist. — D. visited the blind-schools, and, from 
his account of them, 1 was quite sorry not to have gone 
with him. He was so touched by a little blind child 



FEB. 1873 WINTER GAMES. 69 

feeling his face all over with her tiny fingers to feel 
what he was like. 

Saturday^ February ist. — We went this afternoon to 
see some snow-shoe races, and, for the first time since 
we have been in Canada, we were all thoroughly cold, 
and were glad when it was over. 

In the evening some games in the Rink were very 
amusing. One sport looked dangerous : it was a hurdle- 
race, and the skaters had to jump over stiff barriers 
placed in their way. Numbers of them caught their feet 
on the top bar, and came down; it was wonderful that 
they escaped being seriously hurt. The funniest race to 
watch was the barrel-race : a number of flour-barrels 
without ends were placed at intervals along the course. 
The first row had the same number of barrels as boys ; 
the second and the third sets had fewer, for the com- 
petitors got separated and did not all reach the barrels 
at the same time. Each boy dived down when he reached 
the barrel, crept through it, and skated on, as fast as 
possible, to the next. Of course the barrels rolled and 
tumbled about on the ice, and some boys were much 
quicker at getting through them than others. There 
were also backward races, and girls' races, and boys' 
races, etc., all on skates. I gave the prizes at the end. 

Monday, jd. — In the morning we went to the Rink, 
and, a small band of music having been obtained, there 
were lancers danced, and waltzes, and every one worked 
hard, some because they skate for the prizes to-morrow, 
and some because it was to be our last day there. 

We went to an Irish concert after dinner. All the 
songs were Irish, and there was a little speechifying be- 
tween times. 

Tuesday, 4th. — It thaws to-day, and is consequently 
horrid, but we are all full of excitement about the skat- 
ing-matches this afternoon. Quebec has sent a cham- 



>jQ MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. V 

pion lady, and has told her she need not return to her 
ancient city if she does not win the locket which D. has 
offered as a prize. 

Later. — The ladies' match was very interesting, but 
the day was spoiled by two contretemps. The judges said 
there were ties, and awarded the prize to two, which 
ended in D.'s having to duplicate the locket he had 
chosen. Then, at the very last moment, the gentlemen 
found fault with some arrangement, and refused to 
skate, so one walked over the course by himself! 

The little girls' skating was beautiful. 

When the matches were over, there was dancing till 
eleven o'clock. 



CHAPTER VI. 

OUR FIRST PARLIAMENTARY SESSION. 

Ottawa : Friday^ February 14th. — The curling-rink, 
outside our windows, was ready to-day, and the gentle- 
men had a game in the morning and skated in the after- 
noon. We played "puss in the corner" and "friar's 
ground " on skates with the children, who were delighted 
with this idea — mine, I beg to say. 

Saturday^ i^th. — Curling and skating are our exer- 
cises every day. We have had a great consultation over 
our arrangements for the " season." During Lent there 
can be no balls, but we shall have some plays. Two 
pieces, "' The First Night " and " To Oblige Benson," 
are already in hand, and we are to have one play each 
week, and each play twice. This will give us four en- 
tertainments. After Easter we shall give a big ball in 
the new room. 

For the opening of Parliament we have invited Mr. 
and Mrs. Rowland, with whom we stayed in Toronto, 
to come to us. The meeting is on the 5th, and we have 
a Cabinet dinner the night before, a dinner the day after, 
an ice-party on Friday, and a small dinner on Saturday. 

I suppose the House will " sit " all through April, so 
that we can ask the 280 members to dinner before they 
leave Ottawa. 

The children's dreadful colds are all better, but the 



72 ^'^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. VI 

doctor tells me he has had over 200 cases of the same. 
At one o'clock in the night the thermometer was 20° 
below zero, and at one in the day 50° above — a differ- 
ence of seventy degrees — so it is not extraordinary that 
people catch colds ! 

D. continues to feel quite warm and comfortable, and 
not to wear a fur coat : his turn will come in the sum- 
mer, when he will begin to wrap up. 

Monday^ lyth. — Fred, Nelly and I took a drive this 
morning, as the day was so splendid, and as I had to re- 
main at home in the afternoon. I received 133 visitors, 
and if the weather has ears, they must have been ex- 
tremely hot when we had finished discussing it on every 
side. 

The curling, which we have set up in a covered rink 
close to our skating place, seems to be very successful, 
and D. and Fred play a great deal. 

The " Witness " publishes an account of " Hamilton 
Rowan," mentioning me as his granddaughter, which, 
they are pleased to say, " accounts for the good drop in 
me." This is the paper which came to ask Fred for de- 
tails of our engagements at Montreal, and said, "Oh! 
we will miss the ball, if you please ; we are a religious 
paper." 

Wednesday, 2gth. — Such a thaw to-day ; our ice was 
all under water, and we are quite afraid the winter is 
going. We shall have a very mauvais quart d'heiwe be- 
tween this and summer — a time when skating is impossi- 
ble, and walking and driving nearly so, everything drip- 
ping around us. 

Some of Lady Harriet's " imported " servants are 
beginning to marry ; happily, mine are still fancy free. 

Saturday, 22d. — The actors in " To Oblige Benson " 
arrived at twelve this morning to rehearse the piece. 
They none of them knew it in the least. " They " are 



MARCH 1873 OPENING OF PARLIAMENT, 73 

Fred and Mr. Coulson, Colonel and Mrs. Stuart, and a 
nice-looking Miss Himsworth. After lunch the rest of 
the world arrived to skate. It was a lovely afternoon, 
and they practiced the lancers, while I looked on at the 
tobogganing, and just missed seeing a disagreeable sight. 
Little Edward Fletcher was standing dreaming in the 
middle of the hill, and as a toboggan was coming fast 
down upon him the people on the top shouted to him to 
get out of the way ; but he did not hear, and the tobog- 
gan, with a young lady in it, lifted him right up in the 
air. She got her eye cut, and had a bump on her fore- 
head. It might have been a bad accident. 

After the outdoor party we had a dance to warm 
ourselves, and all went home at 6.30. 

Sir John and Lady Macdonald, and M. Langevin, 
arrived, to stay till Monday. Sir John is the Prime 
Minister, and M. Langevin the Public Works, who has 
built our ball-room and does all our improvements. 

Monday^ March jd. — To-morrow the Session, with its 
duties, commences. 

Tuesday^ 4th. — As the dancing is over for the present, 
I have been busy all morning refurnishing my big draw- 
ing-room, which has hitherto been kept as a ball-room. 
The new room is nearly ready, and is very handsome. 
It is to be opened as a theatre, and we are having such 
a pretty stage put up. Lady Harriet Fletcher has come 
over to spend a few days, for a change, and to help me 
to entertain Mrs. Rowland. 

We had our Cabinet dinner ; all men, except Lady 
Harriet and me, the two ladies of the house. I sat be- 
tween the Prime Minister, Sir John, and the Postmaster- 
General, Mr. Campbell. They were both very pleasant 
neighbors. All were in uniform, and all full of anima- 
tion and ready for the fray. 

Wednesday^ ^th. — In the afternoon, D. dressed in uni- 



74 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. vi 

form, and drove in a sleigh-and-four, escorted by troops, 
A. D. C.s, and secretaries, to direct his faithful Lords 
and Commons to choose a Speaker. This did not take 
very long, and on his return we went and sat at the 
Rink in delicious sunshine for a couple of hours. 

Thursday^ 6th. — The opening of Parliament. Having 
to dress in the middle of the day, I was lazy, and did 
not appear at all till I was arrayed in my finery. His 
Ex. wore the Governor's uniform, like that of the 
Queen's Household : collar of St. Patrick, and cocked 
hat kept on all the time. Mrs. Howland and I, Mr, 
Pattisson and Mr. Curtis, went in the first carriage, Miss 
Blake and three children in the next. We arrived some 
time before the Governor-General, and I was conducted 
to my seat by the Gentleman-Usher of the Black Rod. 
The Chamber looked very well. 1 sat to the left of 
the throne, and down each side of the Senate were rows 
of ladies in full dress ; the Senators were on the floor of 
the House, and the galleries were full to the ceiling. 
D. drove in an open sleigh with four horses, accompanied 
by Mr. Howland and Colonel Fletcher. Mr. Holbeach 
followed with Fred. As they came up to the building 
twenty-one guns were fired. The Black Rod met the 
procession and walked backwards, bowing all the way, 
His Excellency getting more stern-looking every minute. 
When the procession arrived at the Senate-Chamber, we 
all stood up, and waited until the Governor-General, 
having taken his seat on the throne, requested us to be 
seated. 

The Commons were sent for, and we sat in solemn 
silence till they came. D. then read his speech, first in 
English, and then all over again in French ; and every- 
thing that was said was repeated in the two languages. 
Then Colonel Fletcher carried the speeches to the 
Speakers of both Houses, and so the ceremony ended, 



MARCH 1873 PARLIAMENTARY DINNERS. y^ 

and we went away as we came. The children were 
much interested, but remarked upon Papa's gravity ; 
they thought it a proper occasion to be wreathed in 
smiles. 

Saturday, 8th. — We had rather a pleasant dinner- 
party of Ministers. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland seemed 
very happy, and she looked very smart in blue velvet. 
The Speaker of the Senate came to stay with us. 

Monday, loth. — The frost seemed to have returned, 
so we sent out our invitations for a skating-party for 
this afternoon. The day was, however, too lovely, and 
the ice, which had been in splendid order, got quite soft. 
It is possible to be happy on doubtful ice here, as we 
know there is no water under it, and that it is only snow 
sprinkled. The skaters kept in one shady corner, and I 
and my guests sat on the brink, and were quite warm 
and comfortable. 

We had another dinner-party — our farewell entertain- 
ment to the Rowlands. 

Tuesday, nth. — Mr. and Mrs. Rowland left this morn- 
ing in a snowstorm, and we remained in the house all 
day. Great arrangements and discussions go on about 
the coming Drawing-room : Who is to have the entree? 
Who is to have seats ? Which way are these people to 
come in, and which way those ? Where is Rer Excel- 
lency's cloak to be taken off? etc., etc. Then I, — not 
being very well, and having meekly asked to have a tall 
office-stool behind me, against which I might occasion- 
ally lean, — an architect and several carpenters have been 
busily engaged in making a design — ground-plan and 
elevation — of a complicated and splendid erection, 
crowned by a vase of flowers, and covered with crimson, 
which is to appear as a part of the throne, but vi^hich is 
to be scooped out for me to sit on ; and a request for 
my exact height has been forwarded to me, that all may 



^5 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. vi 

be correct. This ceremony will be in the Senate-Cham- 
ber, and both Houses of Parliament have adjourned for 
the occasion. 

We also had a discussion as to whether we could put 
off our theatricals on Thursday, for Mario and Carlotta 
Patti, who were to have given a concert to-day, have 
been snowbound, and can not get here until that day ; 
and as 200 of the principal people here are coming to 
us, both the singers and the public lose a good deal. 
Pepper's Ghost is also tearing its hair at the number of 
gayeties in Ottawa, and wrote an entertaining appeal to 
D. to come himself on Friday, so we could not take the 
Ghost's day ; after much consideration we keep Thurs- 
day, but try to get Mario and C. Patti to sing a song 
here after our play ; it will be very nice if they can do 
so. The arrangement of our political dinners also re- 
quires some thought. We have to study which party the 
proposed guests belong to : which province, whether 
French or English — Upper or Lower Canada, their so- 
cial position, etc., etc., so that the dinners may be made 
as pleasant as possible to the guests. 

Wednesday^ 12th. — Still too fine and warm, and ice 
bad. We are sorry, as this evening two very good 
skaters come to stay with us, one from Quebec and one 
from Montreal. 

We dressed in our best for the Drawing-room, and 
got to the Parliament Buildings at nine. In spite of all 
the grand arrangements we got out at the wrong door, 
but everything else went off very well. The Ministers 
went in with us, and we stood by the throne — I with my 
support behind me — their wives followed, then Senators, 
and then the World. 

Thursday, ijt/i. — We had a great party to-night, and 
opened our new room. The guests assembled at nine, 
and after having some tea were conducted through un- 



MARCH 1873 THE A TRICALS. yy 

known passages to their future ball-room, where they 
found 300 chairs arranged in rows, in front of a very 
pretty little stage, and a band dressed in the gorgeous 
uniform of the Governor-General's Guards. The enter- 
tainment began with music, and was followed by " To 
Oblige Benson," which went off admirably. People 
were particularly delighted with Fred's performance — 
he did the part of Trotter Southdown ; and Mrs. South- 
down was excellent, too. 

Just as they finished, Mario and M. Saury, a violin- 
player, arrived. They came as guests, and would hear 
of no terms. After a little, D. asked Mario to sing, and 
the audience were greatly delighted at his doing so 
twice. The violin-player was also a great treat. It was 
wonderfully kind of both gentlemen to perform for us, 
as they only arrived at Ottawa at five in the afternoon, 
and came direct from a concert. This delightful music 
made our party a great success. We went straight into 
supper afterward, and it took some time to feed and 
" speed " the parting 300. 

Friday, 14th. — I kept this as a day of rest, and in 
the evening dispatched my young party, under Lady 
Harriet's chaperonage, to see " Pepper's Ghost." She 
does not seem to have been a good duenna, for she said 
" good night " to the young men and maidens directly 
they were seated, and slept composedly through the 
whole lecture. 

Saturday, i^th — It began to pour with rain this after- 
noon, and the roads were very bad for our dinner-party. 
We had one of thirty people — the first of a long series 
of similar dinners to be given every Saturday for three 
months. The guests were culled from all parts of Can- 
ada ; v/e had representatives from the shores of the 
Atlantic, the Pacific, the St. Lawrence, Lake Huron ; 
Upper and Lower Canadians, French, English and Scotch, 



78 ^'^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. vi 

"Grits'* (the Opposition) and Conservatives (the Gov- 
ernment). 

The night turned out very bad; it blew fearfully, 
and has blown in a very large window in our new 
room. 

Monday^ 17th. — Another young lady, a Miss Mac- 
pherson from Toronto, came to stay with us, so now we 
have representatives of the three great towns in our 
house. 

Wednesday, igth. — We were out all the morning ; but 
the ice is soft and the snow wet. 

Two tourists came to skate, in wonderful costumes: 
striped red-and-yeilow stockings, moccasins, bright blue 
blanket-coats, with embroidered shoulder-pieces, and 
Albanian scarfs round their waists. We asked them to 
dme with us before the play. 

People were quite surprised and delighted with " The 
First Night." The old actor was most splendidly done 
by M. Kimber, and the singing introduced before and 
during the piece was excellent. 

Friday, 28th. — I took a drive in the afternoon, and at 
four went to the Houses of Parliament to pay my first 
visit there. I have a seat on the floor of the House, 
next to the Speaker's. The business was not very inter- 
esting, but I was rather amused, as a number of people 
made very short speeches, and one saw their '' tricks 
and their manners." 

Saturday, 2gt/L — In the evening we had a large Par- 
liamentary dinner. One of my near neighbors was very 
interesting. He is a *' v/orking-man " member ; we had 
met him soon after his election, when he dined in a 
rough coat, but now he wears evening clothes ; he talked 
so pleasantly, and was full of information. One of our 
guests, a French Canadian, made great efforts to reach 
the nursery when he heard the children romping up- 



APRIL i873 PARLIAMENTARY DINNERS, 79 

Stairs, and told me he was most curious to see " le lord." 
I think he imagined Archie * must be very peculiar. 

Wednesday^ April 2d. — We drove into Ottawa on 
wheels. D. goes in every week to have tete-a-tete inter- 
views with different Members of Parliament. This even- 
ing there was a vote of want of confidence in the Gov- 
ernment, but the Ministers won by thirty-three. 

We had " Benson " for the last time ; very well done, 
and much, appreciated. The children helped to warm 
up the audience by their shrieks of delight. 

Friday, 4th. — Two men dined with us : one, the 
Speaker of the Legislature in Manitoba, who has lately 
been tarred-and-feathered by the people, and who came 
to relate his experiences of that operation. The other, 
a Mr. Otley — a nephew of Sir Hastings Doyle's, who has 
been engineering near the Rocky Mountains — has walked 
hundreds of miles on snow-shoes, lived for months on 
salt pork, been eaten by mosquitoes in summer, and 
slept and lived, unprepared for winter, in an atmosphere 
40° below zero. He came out with us in the Prussian. 

Tuesday, 8th. — I went to the House, as a scrimmage 
was expected. First, there was great excitement over 
the Easter holidays — what length they should be— and 
then a party motion about which there was a great deal 
of interest. The Opposition had asked for a Committee 
to inquire into the conduct of members of the Govern- 
ment, accusing them of bribery. They lost, and then 
the Government itself asked for the same Committee, 
saying they courted inquiry. There was a good deal of 
irritation about the whole affair. 

Tuesday, i^th. — The two Miss Bethunes arrived yes- 
terday to stay a week with us, and we opened our new 
ball-room this evening. It is a fine room, very lofty and 

* Viscount Clandeboye. 



3o MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. vi 

well-proportioned. It has not yet been painted, so we 
decorated it with white-and-blue twists of tarlatan and 
bunches of pink roses. These encircled all the windows 
and doors, and appeared to be twisted round the flat 
pillars against the v/all and across the corners. The 
crimson throne was at one end of the room, and there 
was a place for the band at the other. The ante-room, 
hall, billiard- and tea-rooms, the passage leading up to 
my boudoir, and the conservatory, looked very pretty, 
the latter being lighted with Chinese lanterns. The 
large drawing-room and dining-room were both arranged 
for supper, and seated 140 at a time. Some 650 people 
were present, and, they say, all were pleased. 

Thursday^ May ist. — This week we have had lovely 
weather. The sun is quite hot, and I am out all day. 
We have put up a tent on the lawn, and every afternoon 
the family play football, marbles, prisoner's base, and 
other games, to the great delight of all. 

We find Parliament is likely to sit another ten days, 
so we have given up all idea of moving to Quebec at 
present. We are rather afraid of the heat and the mos- 
quitoes here, but it can not be helped. 

Friday^ 2d. — Encouraged by the lovely weather, I put 
a notice in the paper that I should be " at home " to-day, 
intending to receive people in the garden, have tea and 
a band there, and at five to let those who liked dance in 
the ball-room. The morning was, however, cold and 
miserable, and the afternoon poured with rain; so I had 
to sit in the drawing-room. About fifty people came, 
and they danced indoors all the time, and were ap- 
parently quite happy. Nine children took part in the 
amusements, the little ones liking the band, and getting 
quite at home with the strangers. 

Saturday^ jd. — The provoking weather was fine again 
to-day, and I am under my tent once more. Mr. and 



MAY 1 873 PRINCE EDWARD'S ISLAND, gj 

Mrs. Ryan and her daughter arrived from Montreal to 
stay Sunday with us. Mr. Ryan is a very pleasant Irish 
Senator, his wife a very nice Swiss-French lady, for 
whom he waited forty years, she marrying some one else 
in the meantime. 

Thursday^ 8th. — I saw Lady Macdonald on Tues- 
day, the day that Sir John made his splendid speech 
in the House, with which Fred was so greatly de- 
lighted. 

Friday^ pth. — I advertised that I should be " at home 
between three and six " this afternoon. Part of the en- 
tertainment was to be out of doors, and part in. The 
weather was very doubtful all the morning ; but we took 
courage, had the tea laid on the lawn, put up a tent and 
down a carpet, turned the drawing-room chairs out into 
the garden, and at three were rewarded by the com- 
mencement of a really fine afternoon. 

I received in the tent, and the company sat and 
walked about listening to the Guards' band till after 
four, when they went into the ball-room and danced very 
vigorously for the rest of the time ; but I stayed in the 
garden and watched the dancers come out to the tea, 
and talked to a few of the old people, though most of 
them danced, too. 

Saturday^ loth. — Mr. Coulson left us to-day. We were 
sorry to lose him, and, I think, he was sorry to go. He 
joins his regiment (6oth Rifles) at Halifax. 

We had our last Parliamentary dinner for this Ses- 
sion, The Prime Minister of Prince Edward's Island 
and some colleagues of his, who are here to try and 
arrange about joining the Confederation, dined. 

Wedfiesday^ 14th. — Fred went to dine in Ottawa, Lady 

Harriet was having tea with me, and D., the Colonel, and 

the Doctor were looking for fossils, when, to my great 

surprise, Lord George Campbell was announced — the 

7 



82 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. VI 

Duke of Argyll's sailor son. We sent to the hotel for 
his things. 

Thursday^ i^ih. — Fred took our guest a ride, and in 
the afternoon they went with Lady Harriet and Miss 
Blake to the House. We had a dinner-party, which was 
arranged for a young lady who is going to marry an 
Englishman, and who wanted to dine here before she 
went home. We asked two other girls, and put the smart 
young man between them I Oddly enough, an old ship- 
mate of his, whom he had not seen for four years, was 
also at dinner. 

Prince Edward's Island has come into the Confeder- 
ation, so the Governor-General's dominion is enlarged ; 
but he loses one of his titles. 

Satui'day, lyth. — A little girl was born this day, and 
the Queen has telegraphed that she will be her god- 
mother. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

Tuesday, June loth. — We left Ottawa this morning 
very early, going by rail to Prescott, with our whole 
family, the new baby included. There we got into a 
steamer, and sat all day on deck. We had a delightful 
cruise down the river, and an exciting descent of the 
Rapids. In one place we passed within a few inches of 
a wreck, and we felt quite creepy. At Montreal we 
changed steamers. The children were delighted with 
the grandeur of the St. Lawrence boats, with their enor- 
mous saloons and state-cabins. When we were at tea 
we heard some music — the ''Dead March" — being 
played; and looking out, we saw, passing slowly in the 
darkness, the steamer with the body of Sir George Car- 
tier * on board ; it was a striking moment — the chapel 
on board lighted up, the band playing, and bells tolling 
at sea, answered by bells tolling on shore. 

Wednesday, nth. — We awoke at Quebec, and found it 
wet and cold. In spite of the weather and the early 
hour, we had a friendly welcome from the people. 

Monday, i6th. — The little baby's christening-day ! 

A large bouquet had been sent me in the morning, 

* Sir George Cartier, late member for Montreal East, had died in 
England. He was a descendant of the famous Jacques Cartier who, in 
1534, took possession of Canada in the name of Francis I, King of 
France. 



84 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vii 

and beautiful flowers for the font, by Mr. Levi. The 
Cathedral was full of people ; I had my whole six chil- 
dren there, and they made a very good show. Lady 
" Victoria Alexandrina Muriel May " behaved admirably, 
and slept soundly the whole time, in spite of a deluge of 
Jordan water. 

Then we registered her baptism very fully : — Myself 
as " Proxy for Her Majesty the Queen " ; Lady H. 
Fletcher, " godmother " ; Sir John A. Macdonald, "god- 
father " ; Fred and a Minister, Mr. Campbell — as present. 

Basil was, I am told, on the verge of being naughty, 
and won all the ladies' hearts by his wncked efforts to 
climb over the pew, and to knock down all the prayer- 
books. 

We came home and rested a little, and at four I was 
" at home." The company, D., and the Fletchers went 
out on the platform and enjoyed themselves listening to 
the band, but Fred and I were kept hard at work an- 
nouncing and receiving people ; we could not stir for 
an instant, a continuous stream coming in, and he was 
doubtless much tantalized as the young ladies passed 
him, and left him, like a sentry, tied to the door-post. I 
tried to drink a cup of tea, but had it nearly shaken 
over my dress by twenty hands, as I said " How do you 
do ? " and gave it up in despair. However, the A. D. C. 
and I did our duty, — and outside every one was well en- 
tertained, and the affair went off well. We had a family 
dinner, and all, upstairs and down, drank baby's health. 

Tuesday, lyt/i. — A long day of Viceregal functions. 
At twelve we ate a hasty lunch and started, with five 
children and our " suite," to the Ursuline Convent, 
where I was to give away the prizes. 

There is a new Lieutenant-Governor here, and as he 
has a large family, our combined movements on State 
occasions require a deal of arrangement. The first fact 



JUNE 1873 VICEREGAL FUNCTIONS. 85 

established is, that the Governor-General and I, on pub- 
lic occasions, walk first ; His Honor, the Lieutenant- 
Governor and his wife follow. But the five Lieutenant- 
Princesses have also to be seated in proper positions, 
and when (as to-day) I take three of my family the 
A. D. C.s tear their hair ! Priests met us at the convent 
door, and we proceeded to the room where the prizes 
were to be given, which was filled with people. The 
nuns did not appear at all. I found in front of me trays 
full of books, and as the names of the winners were read 
out, with an account of their various merits, they walked 
past, and I presented them with books. There were at 
least 200 prizes, every girl in the school, I am sure, hav- 
ing gained from one to six " rewards of merit." Then I 
crowned six of the most remarkably virtuous young 
ladies. The first three wreaths, alas ! I put on wrong 
side foremost, but perceiving that the girls managed to 
turn them round, I was more careful, and was at the end 
complimented upon the way m which I placed them on 
their heads. Between each trayful of books we had 
music. The ceremony lasted two hours. One lady 
fainted, but the children bore it admirably, and I took 
them to a field of cut grass to refresh them when it was 
over. 

We dined at six, for we had to go out early to cele- 
brate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Mis- 
sissippi. " Why on earth ? " you will exclaim. Well, I 
don't quite know why, but the Laval University has to 
find some object for a yearly fHe^ and the discoverers 
were French-Canadians. 

The celebration was a tremendous affair. For three 
hours I sat on a very hard and stately arm-chair, with 
my Lieutenant-Governor beside me, on my right an 
empty space, on the other side of which sat His Ex. and 
his Lieutenant-Governess. 



g5 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vn 

Friday^ 20th. — We christened a large new ship this 
morning — the Earl of Dufferin. The day seemed fine, 
but heavy showers came on. The ship is on the stocks 
at present, and I had great difficulty in breaking the bot- 
tle, as the rope was badly hung, and when I aimed at 
the narrow bow it would swing away. At the third ef- 
fort, however, I succeeded. 

In the evening we attended a concert given in aid of 
the widow of a poor gunner who was killed by the burst- 
ing of a gun the day before we arrived here. 

Saturday., 21st. — We drove down to our new yacht. 
The Government has fitted up a vessel for us — the 
Druid. Most charming cabins are arranged for me, and 
everything is perfect for yachting — but I have to com- 
bine sailor clothes with garments enough for two months 
of Viceregal ceremonies, which would be difficult even 
on the Great Eastern. I fear Dent will go mad with the 
agony of crushing my things into " bunkers." My cabin 
has a comfortable bed, a hanging-press, and a large 
glass, ornamented with pink ribbon and muslin. D. has 
an excellent cabin off it, and Dent another. The dm- 
ing-room is paneled with chintz and light wood, and 
Fred sleeps on one of the sofas there. We have a nice 
after-cabin for a drawing-room, and Lady Harriet and 
the Colonel have small rooms off it. To-night baby 
sleeps on board with her two nurses, and we sail for Ta- 
dousac. 

Sujiday, 22d. — After breakfast we went to our new 
house at Tadousac. It is so pretty, with red roof, green 
blinds, and white walls. We have a platform, upon 
which we sit and look out upon the St. Lawrence, and on 
to which all the sitting-rooms open. The children will, 
I think, be very happy and comfortable here until our 
return, for we do not remain here now. 

The clergyman has not yet arrived, so there was no 



JUNE 1873 TADOUSAC. 87 

service. We sat on the sands and paddled a little in D.'s 
Rice Lake canoe — the Lady May. Then we returned to 
our ship to dine and sleep. 

Monday^ 2jd. — Such a stormy morning : Dent, my 
precious maid, wild about her boxes, and givmg warning 
on the spot ; myself in despair, for she is a treasure. On 
shore another valuable member of our household also in 
a tantrum about something, and when I land I must en- 
counter her. Dent will, I trust, calm down, for I really 
can't bear the idea of losing her. 

An address was presented to His Ex. by the Ta- 
dousacians on the occasion of his becoming a house- 
holder here. 

We gave a house-warming, and had the Cure, and the 
Squire's agent and his daughter, and our captain to din- 
ner. We sat on our balcony till nine o'clock, and then 
came on board. 

Tuesday, 24th. — We started in a boat directly after 
breakfast to see the salmon-fishery, and saw ten fish 
caught in a labyrinth. 

Wednesday, 2^th. — The anniversary of our arrival in 
Canada. We left Tadousac during the night, and had a 
most lovely day on board, sitting out reading; the 
weather perfect. We reached the mouth of the God- 
bout in the afternoon, and the owners, or, rather, the 
hirers, of that river came on board to bring us two 
salmon, and to make plans for to-morrow. They are 
Mr. Gilmour, Mr. Cross, and Mr. Muir. 

Thursday, 26th. — We got up before six o'clock, and 
started for the shore. In the night the wind had risen 
a little, and we were in the happy position of being an- 
chored in a swell. However, we got safely to the river, 
which was quite smooth, and the weather beautifully 
warm. We breakfasted at the wooden huts, and fished 
all day. It was almost too fine for the salmon ; they 



88 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vii 

jumped and frisked about under our noses, and would 
not rise, so that after many hours' hard work there were 
only three fish to show. Fred caught one his very first 
throw, but did no more after this hopeful beginning. 
The Colonel retired to bed on his return to the ship ; 
but the swell is better ! 

Friday^ 2yth. — D. and Colonel Fletcher went off early 
in the morning to fish, and Lady Harriet and I met them 
in the afternoon. They had had very little sport, but 
D. had some fun with one salmon : in pursuing it he fell 
into the water, but held on to his fish and landed it ; he 
had to array himself in Mr. Gilmour's clothes, and when 
we returned to our ship we found such a gale blowmg 
that it was impossible to send the boat back again, so 
D. had to carry off his borrowed plumes. 

We bought two little beavers from the Indians, to 
keep as pets on board. The crew were greatly interest- 
ed in them, and we have established them in a barrel on 
deck, and amuse ourselves with giving them baths and 
feeding them. 

A rough-looking evening; we are to start during the 
night. 

The Mingan, Sunday, 2gth. — Found ourselves in a 
splendid harbor this morning, where we shall never feel 
the slightest movement; on one side is an island, and 
on the other we see a little settlement of Indian wig- 
wams, their nicely-built chapel, and some houses belong- 
ing to the " Honorable Company " (the Hudson's Bay). 
We had service in the cabin, and after lunch went ashore. 

A priest visits these out-of-the-way stations once a 
year, and he happens to be here now. The Indians are 
very obedient to him, and are religious in their way. It 
was very picturesque to see them troop to church, the 
women dressed in gaudy colors, with cloth caps of red 
and black on their heads (something the shape of sailors' 



June 1873 INDIANS IN CHAPEL. 8g 

red, pointed nightcaps), their babies and children with 
them. We followed them into the chapel, and found all 
the squaws squatting on one side, and the men on the 
other. They sang a Canticle — the women one verse, the 
men the next ; the music was a melancholy wail, with 
very few notes, and the voices of the singers were thin 
and weak, but it was interesting and curious. I should 
like to have stayed till the end, but the Chief began 
to get us chairs, and to bring us into notice, so we 
left. 

We walked across the little peninsula on which the 
chapel is, got into our canoes on the river Mingan, and 
paddled up to look at the fishing ground. It is at the 
foot of a very pretty waterfall. 

The Priest and the Captain dined with us. The 
former is a pleasant man. He is just going up to the 
Esquimaux. He is very ill at sea, and has before him a 
voyage in a small schooner which may last three weeks. 
These missionary priests have hard lives. We were told 
that on Saturday he had scarcely had anything to eat, 
the Indians having nothing to give him. The huts here 
are made of poles very lightly covered with birch-bark ; 
in each of these tents seven or eight families live. 

The priest in his yearly visits to these Indians ar- 
ranges all of a suitable age in couples, and marries 
them ; and there is a total absence of all love-making. 
They are very moral : drink (when they can get it) and 
laziness being their sins. Those we have seen here are 
hideous. 

There is a great meeting at a place called Bersimis 
once a year, and all the Indians, that can, go there ; the 
greater part of the marriages take place then. The 
Chief had on a black frock-coat ornamented with epau- 
lets. He called D. " Brother." The same man received 
one of our Princes when they came here, and saluted 



QO ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vii 

him in the same way, then showed him a medal he wore 
on his breast, and said, " Ta mere ; tu connais ? " 

Monday, joth — We got up at six, and went in our 
canoes up the Mingan. It is about an hour's paddle. 
The three rods fished away, and D. caught two salmon, 
one a twenty-pound fish ; this was all the success before 
eleven o'clock, though there were about ten rises. It 
became very hot at this time, and we went into our tents 
to wait for the cool of the day. The gentlemen bathed, 
and in getting into the canoe to go to the bathing-place 
were upset, and wet all their clothes. 

We were just going to begin fishing again, when an 
Indian canoe arrived bringing us very sad news. One 
of our footmen had gone out fishing and was drowned. 
We returned immediately. We saw the place where the 
accident happened ; on the rocks lay a piece of bread he 
had been eating. He had got up and stood at the edge 
of the water with his rod. The steward said, " Can you 
swim?" "No." " Then take care, for it is slippery, and 
the water is very deep." " Never fear," he said, and in- 
stantly slipped. He put up his hands to take off a mos- 
quito-veil he had on, and disappeared. The steward 
dived after him, but he never rose at all. A boat was 
got, and presently the men saw the thick end of a fish- 
ing-rod sticking up. They took hold of it, and Hfted 
the poor dead body up with it. He appeared to be up- 
right in the water, the rod fast in his hand. 

The Hudson's Bay Company overseer has arranged 
everything, and the funeral will be to-morrow. 

Tuesday^ July ist. — The priest gave us a place in the 
churchyard here, and at two o'clock to-day the funeral 
took place; the flags were half-mast high, and every 
possible mark of mourning and respect was shown. All 
the crew attended, and the sailors carried the body to 
the grave. D. read the service. 



JULY 1873 FISHING. QI 

Wednesday^ 2d. — At three o'clock to-day we started 
to go up the river. 

The fishermen are not very fortunate ; the salmon 
are not rising, and the greater part of those that have 
been landed have been hooked by the tail or in the 
back. Fred caught five ; one weighed 23^/2 lbs., and it 
was taken in a curious way : the hook never touched it, 
but it was caught in a noose round the tail. Colonel 
Fletcher got two, but D. was very unlucky. 

The morning was extremely foggy, but the afternoon 
was fine, and we dined out on the rocks, and came on 
board to a late tea. 

Thursday^ 3d. — The fishermen again left in the after- 
noon and went to sleep up at the Waterfall. The night 
was wet, and there was thunder and lightning. 

Friday^ 4th. — Lady Harriet and I went up the river 
after lunch with the Captain, who is to have some fish- 
ing. The salmon will not rise, and it was in vain that 
everybody tried every dodge to entice them; they will 
not be caught. We dined on the rocks, and left our 
gentlemen in their tents for another day, coming back 
again with the Captain, who was, I fear, much disap- 
pointed with his want of success. We reached the ship 
in such a fog ! 

Saturday, ^th. — We spent a quiet day on board, and 
only went ashore for half an hour, to visit Mrs. Scott, 
the wife of the Hudson's Bay Agent. She is a French- 
Canadian, and must live a lonely life here. We also 
went to look at the grave of our poor man. The gen- 
tlemen returned in the evening, and we had another wet 
night. They had had very bad sport. It turns out that 
the foot of a waterfall is an impossible place to fish in. 
The salmon do not rise at all, but a great many get foul- 
hooked ; this accounts for our ill-success. 

Sunday, 6th. — We had intended leaving the Mingan 



p2 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. vii 

to-day, but it is too stormy. We had prayers on board, 
and then went for a walk on the island, and looked for 
fossils, and saw a live seal, a flock of wild duck, and 
three tame goats. 

Monday^ 'jth. — After breakfast we fished for trout. I 
caught six good ones, and was the only lucky person ; 
the others got some tiny creatures. We returned to our 
ship at three o'clock, and instantly got under way. The 
afternoon was lovely, and we spent it in that kind of 
busy idleness which distinguishes life on board ship. 
3.30 : Rumor that a seal is seen ; rush to the side — get 
out rifles, opera-glasses, telescopes — fire — splash ; all 
right! nobody hurt; seal looks up again. 3.50: Num- 
ber of sea-birds to starboard ; fire again. 4.15 : A whale ! 
he appears, disappears, turns up again for nearly an 
hour. 5 o'clock : An island ! 5.10: On the island thou- 
sands of sea-gulls sitting on their eggs. 5.20 : Fire at 
the island, tremendous excitement among the gulls, and 
instant flight of the whole colony. 5.30 : Attend to the 
tame partridge ; fetch water for her, catch flies for her. 
5.50: Attend to the beavers ; they refuse to^ come and 
be looked at ; are they ill ? Oh, the poor pets ! " Turn 
their box upside down " — no, they won't come out. 
"Shake them," "put in your hand," etc., etc. " Anti- 
costi in sight " ; every one rushes to look at it. A long, 
low strip of land, where we are glad to see there is noth- 
ing to be seen, as many people wanted us to stay there.' 
6.30: Dinner. 6.50: A shower. 7.30: A beautiful sun- 
set. 7.40 : Waves getting up, passengers getting less 
and less frisky. 8.15 : Assured that in five hours it will 
be calm. 8.30 : Colonel Fletcher says " good night." 
9: Tea comes — ladies won't attempt it. 9.10: Lady 
Harriet disappears. 9.30 : All in bed, and, I am happy 
to add, asleep and well. 

Tuesday, 8th. — A new page in our Canadian history 



JULY 1873 GASPE. 



93 



— Gaspe. This morning I came on deck, and found 
that we were steaming up a lovely lough into a splendid 
harbor. A sunny landscape : hills, and white houses, 
and red roofs dotted about ; sufficient houses to make 
it very gay, and not enough to make a town of it. 
*' Such a place for a sailing-boat," D. thinks, and is de- 
lighted with it. 

A gentleman comes on board, and we make arrange- 
ments for the morrow. We get our mail, and write our 
letters. 

In the afternoon a deputation appears, and reads an 
address, to which His Ex. replies in " suitable terms." 
The deputation consists of the Mayor, the Custom 
House Officers, the Doctor, and other local dignitaries. 
They ask if we will have a drive, and promise to have 
carriages ready for us when we like. So at four o'clock 
we go ashore. On the landing-place we are met by 
our friends, and I find that Gaspe driving is all to be 
done tete-a-tete. The Mayor takes His P2x. in a gig, I 
follow with a millowner in the next. Number Three 
contains the Colonel and Mr. Eden (of whom more here- 
after) ; Number Four, Lady Harriet and the Doctor ; Fred 
closes the procession with — I don't know who ; but he 
must have been the fifth in order of precedence at 
Gaspe. It was amusing, starting off in this way, and 
we took a pretty drive for nearly two hours, and made 
ourselves as agreeable as possible to our several com- 
panions. It was rather fun, in the evening, comparing 
notes as to the various items of news, and the different 
opinions we had gleaned from our drivers. One con- 
sidered Gaspe the rising place in the universe, another 
viewed it gloomily, etc. 

Mr. Kidd and Mr. Campbell (belonging to the Gov- 
ernor-General's office) dined with us, and we saw some 
fireworks and a bonfire in our honor on shore. 



Q4 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, cn. vii 

Wednesday^ pth. — A very great day. Up at six, and 
go ashore ; tents and baggage are packed into canoes 
and go down the bay, while we drive to meet them. 
We are in our gigs again ; but ours is a double one, and 
we are driven by the Mr. Eden of whom I spoke before. 
He is the " oldest inhabitant," a Custom House officer, 
and a most sanguine person. He assures us we shall 
catch fifty salmon, and views everything in the couleur 
de rosiest light. We do have a most lovely drive. The 
country is like the Highlands, and we see wild hills on 
one side, and Gaspe Bay on the other. The road is 
through trees, and it would be impossible anywhere to 
see a more beautiful country. The day is very fine, we 
drive very fast, and it is most pleasant. In an hour and 
a half we meet the canoes on the Dartmouth River, and 
we become most picturesque ! Imagine six birch-bark 
canoes in procession ; in each two men stand upright, 
with long poles in their hands, while two passengers sit 
in the center of the boat. We have three hours' journey 
in this way up a beautiful river, going up rapids and en- 
joying ourselves. Then we arrive at a salmon-pool, get 
out, and pitch our tents. We have two bell-tents, a 
small one for Fred, and a tent for the cook. The twelve 
canoe-men make one of birch-bark for themselves. We 
hoist our flag and take possession. Our chef is capital ; 
he works away, builds himself a fireplace, gets out his 
pots and pans, and soon sets before us a splendid din- 
ner. We have soup and fish, and entrees and pudding, 
and are far from " roughing it." We have but two 
trials in life — one is great, the other small — ist, the ter- 
rible flies; and 2d, the obstinacy of the salmon, who do 
not rise. The gentlemen whip the pools and catch 
nothing, and we ladies find a few trout ; then we have 
tea, and retire to our tents. We have a little trouble 
in them at first. Mosquito-curtains have been put up, 



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TV„",i-V,. 



ift:^SSBSi*».S*aB-~ .' ■ , lUT ,, ' 1,1, i„ 







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III I ll 



JULY 1873 THE DARTMOUTH RIVER. ^5 

but as I endeavor to crawl under them the whole erec- 
tion tumbles down, and it is some time before I am 
safe inside. 

Thursday^ loth. — We are all up early, and breakfast 
at five, get into our canoes, and proceed higher up the 
river. The pools we reach to-day are very lovely, and 
we have a very pleasant day at them. I catch a number 
of trout, so do Fred and Lady Harriet ; and Fred got a 
salmon — the only one. We stopped fishing at eleven ; 
the men made a bower of branches and birch-bark, and 
we sat and read and ate until four, when we fished again. 
The last pool was so pretty — or, rather, fine. There 
were great cliffs on either side, and in front a waterfall 
with a wall of rock and trees behind it, the further 
course of the river being quite hidden from view. At 
eight o'clock we left, and paddled down to our camp, 
passing through some great rapids. The worst are 
called the "Lady's Steps." Tea and bed followed. 

Friday^ nth. — Again we breakfast at five, and begin 
our return journey in exactly the same way as we came. 
Finding an invitation from an American gentleman to 
go up his river, the St. John, and to stay with him, we 
accept ; so we go on board the Drtiid, wash and dress 
better than is possible in a tent, and in two hours begin 
a new adventure. 

We drive for half an hour, cross a stream in a boat, 
walk a little way, and then meet six saddle-horses. 
These we mount, and ride for three hours through the 
forest ; five miles of the way being through a burned 
wood. The tall, charred trunks are all that remain of 
the old forest, but a beautiful fresh underwood has 
grown up everywhere. This ride brings us to Mr. Cur- 
tis's " shanty " on the St. John. 

I could not get on with him at first, but I soon found 
that he was very nice, and that it was only preoccupa- 



q6 my CANADIAN journal. ch. vii 

tion that was the matter with him — and no wonder, for 
it seems that we ought to have brought blankets with 
us, and the poor man is in despair, as he, of course, has 
a very limited supply in the backwoods. We swear that 
we like doing without blankets, and he is happy. There 
was time for a little fishing, and Fred caught a salmon. 
Lady Harriet and I sleep in a tent ; D., the Colonel, and 
Fred, side by side in the house. Off their bedroom is a 
dining-room, partly covered in with mosquito-curtains, 
under which we dine. 

The»sand-flies are dreadful here, but we try to defy 
them with smoky fires (called " smudges ") and curtains. 
After dinner we sit out of doors before a pile of blazing 
wood. 

You remember that I told you that a poor man-serv- 
ant of ours was drowned at the Mingan. As we knew 
nothing about his people, we were unable to communi- 
cate the news of his death to them, so D. ordered any 
letters that might arrive for him to be brought to him- 
self. The first of these — which we have just received — 
was from a servant-girl he was attached to at Ottawa, 
and was dated exactly seven days after the day of the 
accident. In it she said, " I have been in my new place 
a week, and I like it very much, but I had such a dread- 
ful dream on the day of my arrival. I dreamed that you 
and Nowell were upset in a boat together, and that No- 
well was saved, but you were drowned." As the spot 
where the accident occurred is in an uninhabited region 
on the coast of Labrador, more than 500 miles distant 
from Ottawa, without either telegraphs or posts, it was 
impossible that she should have had the news of her 
lover's death when this letter was written. 

Saturday^ 12th. — After breakfast this morning we got 
into canoes, and were four hours going up the river ; 
however, we stopped five times on our way to fish, and 



JULY 1873 PERCE. 97 

so the time did not appear long. We only caught trout 
thus far ; but we have reached " Kelly's Pool," and are 
told that here salmon will surely come. D. catches one 
(18 lbs.) almost immediately. Mr. Curtis hooks one for 
me, and hands me the rod, but in so doing off it comes ; 
then he hooks another, I take the rod again, and enjoy 
myself immensely while I play the fish. I landed him, 
and great was my joy and pride. Colonel Fletcher and 
Lady Harriet each play one, but she loses hers. Then 
we were carried swiftly down the rapids home. Dinner 
— fireside — bed ! Alas ! bed is not the end. There was 
frost to-night, and the limited supply of blankets was 
terrible. I woke at one, very cold, got up, and dressed 
in all my clothes, and lay down again ; but not to sleep. 
I shivered till four, and at this early hour on Sunday 
morning might have been found sitting at a great wood 
fire out of doors : a tent on my right, where sleeps my 
friend ; behind me a wooden house, where sleep my hus- 
band, brother, and the Colonel ; to the left a section of 
a tent, jutting out of which may be seen the feet of 
sleeping men ; one — who is awake — attends to my fire ; 
a dog lies by, the river rolls along in the background. 
In this picture I may be represented reading a novel; 
the primeval forest extends itself on every side of me. 
The rest of the world got up to breakfast at seven, and 
we rode and drove home to our ship again. Mr. Curtis 
*'of Boston " was most kind to us and very pleasant. 

Monday^ 14th. — We started in the night, and found 
ourselves next morning off Perc6. The view from our 
ship is quite lovely. There is the great, precipitous rock 
standing out by itself, with a natural arch through it, 
which gives the name to the place; then, on the main- 
land, the red clififs rise up above the sea, crowned with 
green shrubs, and the plateau on which the little town 
is built slopes down to the water, and ends in another 
8 



q8 ^'^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vil 

great cliff. The sun shines, and everything is delightful. 
Colonel Fletcher and D. both made sketches ; when they 
had finished we steamed round the rock, and got into a 
boat to row ashore. 

A salute was fired (by the blacksmith), and all the 
fishing population of Perce, headed by their Mayor, 
Manager, and the Sheriff, met us, and of course read an 
address. 

Perce is a most important fishing-station. It is prin- 
cipally owned by Jersey people who have never been to 
it, and their representative here is Mr. Orange. In addi- 
tion to its beautiful scenery it has the merit of spotless 
purity (in spite of a strong smell of fish pervading the 
atmosphere). The houses and stores are all of the fresh- 
est white, with red window-sashes and doors ; the streets 
are of gravel. When His Ex. had replied to the address, 
we went through the places where the fish is salted, 
dried, etc. 

The operation is as follows : On a table on the beach 
the cod is beheaded, cut open, and spread flat. He is 
then brought into a large, square room, laid upon the 
floor, and salted ; above him, below him, and around 
him, are his fellow-cods. After remaining in this retreat 
for three or four days, he is put into a great tub and 
washed. From this he gets into a barrow, and is wheeled 
out of doors to a long bed of dried fir-boughs, upon 
which he reposes with his neighbors and gets dried. He 
ought to lie there for six days, and the Perce fishermen 
have to watch the clouds all that time, and rush to lift 
him into a shed should it threaten to rain. A shower 
would spoil him. From this free-and-easy stage he is 
removed, and stacked on the gravel, and covered over 
with birch-bark and heavy stones ; this is his final trial, 
and he is now fit to fulfill the object of his existence, and 
to be eaten. 



July 1873 DALHOUSIE. go 

The stacks are really works of art — they are so neat 
and trim. We also inspected the stores and shops of the 
town. We were told there was a splendid view from the 
top of a mountain or high cliff above the town, and we 
started to drive there. I only got to the bottom of the 
worst climb in the gig with the Mayor and Mayoress, 
but the gentlemen went to the top. In the afternoon 
we continued our journey up the Bay of Chaleur to 
Paspediac, off which little town we anchored at ten 
o'clock. 

Tuesday^ i^th. — D. went ashore at 7 a. m. to look at 
this place, and found a sleepy Agent, who could not rise 
to the magnitude of the occasion, or comprehend that it 
was the Governor-General who represented the " early 
bird." 

Paspediac is another part of the Jersey fishing-busi- 
ness. Here ships are built, and in them the dried cod 
is sent off to its various destinations. 

We were detained an hour by our engine, which had 
got out of order, and so did not reach Dalhousie till 
five o'clock. The scenery towards the end of the Bay 
was lovely, and the surroundings of this village reminded 
us of Scotland. We had not seen such high hills for a 
long time. 

The courageous people of Dalhousie fired oif some 
old guns which had been found at the bottom of the 
river, and it is a mercy no accident occurred. 

The principal inhabitants met us on the wharf, but 
His Ex's hand was first shaken by a black man, who 
appears to be a pet jester of the neighborhood. Later, 
this gentleman perceived he had forgotten me, and 
made a dive through the crowd to shake hands with 
me. My gravity was rather upset by this unexpected 
welcome. 

We walked to the Court House, and had an address 



lOO -^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. vii 

presented ; then D. took a drive, and I went up to the 
house of a senator — Mr. Hamilton. We got on board 
again in time for dinner, and continued our journey in 
the night. 

Wednesday^ i6th. — We have had a rough twenty-four 
hours, and could not enjoy the deck until we were some 
way up the Miramichi river. The country round here is 
flat and uninteresting. We reached Chatham in the 
afternoon, but a sad accident occurred in firing the 
salute. 

An address was read, and lunch prepared at the house 
of the Member, Mr. Muirhead, to which we had to pass 
under an arch specially erected in our honor. We re- 
turned in the evening to attend a concert given by the 
convent-school. 

Thursday^ lyth. — We invited Mr., Mrs., and Miss 
Muirhead, and two other gentlemen, to breakfast on 
board, and to go with us to Newcastle, a town a short 
way from Chatham. 

There was an address, and a drive to a new bridge 
which is being built over the river, and then we set sail 
— or, rather, "got under steam" — on our way to Prince 
Edward's Island, where I hope to receive letters. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MARITIME PROVINCES. 

Friday^ July i8th. — This morning we found ourselves 
in sight of Prince Edward's Island ; and very pretty it 
looked in the sunshine. The cliifs are low, but they 
show a red line above the water, crowned with green, 
and the whole country is much more cultivated and 
more park-like than anything we have as yet seen in 
Canada. 

We anchored at ten, and got some letters from Ta- 
dousac, with good accounts of the children ; and at 
twelve we landed at Charlotte Town. 

There was a crowd, and a very pretty arch, one of 
the mottoes on it being " Long courted, won at last," 
in allusion to the island having just joined the Do- 
minion. 

We are staying at Government House with Mr.* and 
Mrs. Robinson. They took us a drive through red lanes, 
farms, trees, and ferns — country sights which are quite 
delightful to us, who of late have only seen forest 
scenery. 

Saturday, igth. — We walked through the town, and 
in the afternoon had a reception, and in the evening a 
dinner-party. 

Monday^ 2ist. — In the morning we started to take the 
first trip on the first railway made in the island. About 

* Sir William Robinson, Governor of Trinidad, 1891. 



102 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. vin 

thirty people came with us, and at a distant station we 
were met by carriages, in which we drove to the sea- 
shore, where we had lunch. Then we returned home by 
the same route, and had a little rest before we dressed 
for a ball at Government House. 

Tuesday^ 22d. — We drove out with Mr. and Mrs. Rob- 
inson to do some shopping, to look at a fine view of the 
town, and to be photographed under the triumphal arch. 
Then we went off to the Druid, and H. M. S. Spartan 
manned yards as we passed. There was a regatta in the 
harbor, for which D. had given prizes, and we had in- 
vited forty people to lunch with us on board and to see 
the races from our ship. We had a very pleasant after- 
noon, and as soon as the sports were over we went 
ashore to give away the prizes. The day was a perfect 
summer day. 

We dined quietly at Government House, and dressed 
for the ball after dinner. This ball was part of the 
reception which the local Parliament had resolved to 
give the Governor-General. 

It was in the Parliament Buildings, and the Senate 
Chamber was beautifully arranged for it. From the 
ceiling hung a thing like a chandelier, made of roses 
and moss, which spread out into single ropes of flowers, 
attached to the gallery all round the room, forming a 
light canopy of flowers above us ; then there were flags 
and wreaths on the walls ; so that nothing could have 
been prettier. Besides a dressing-room, a little resting- 
place was provided for me, in which there was a large 
supply of refreshment ! 

The supper-room was decorated with green, and with 
a large painting of D.'s arms, surrounded by all the 
Canadian flags, that of Newfoundland being still rolled 
up (it has not joined the Union). The supper was a sort of 
picnic, being sent by different people, and was very good. 



July 1873 PIC TO U COAL-MINES, I03 

A pretty girl with whom Fred danced said to him : 
" I noticed that you danced with all the plainest girls 
and the worst dancers, at Government House on Mon- 
day, and I said to myself, * Well, really, I don't think 
Mr. Hamilton is such a swell that he need dance with all 
the plain girls and the bad dancers,' " — alluding, of 
course, to the Governor-General's partners being chosen 
for him. Fred immediately asked her for a second 
waltz. When we left we were accompanied by a torch- 
light procession to the pier ; there we got into our boat, 
and went on board the Druid. All the ladies, in their 
ball-dresses, came out on the balcony of the house to see 
us off ; and the arches were illuminated. 

Thursday, 24th. — In the morning we reached Pictou. 

I must mention here that the climate of Prince Ed- 
ward's Island was very much more like England than 
that of our part of Canada, and both Lady Harriet and 
I felt the change. She got hay-fever and asthma, and 
is in bed, and I have a cold ; however, I did not like to 
miss seeing the coal-mines of the Dominion, so I went 
with D. to inspect them. I saw all the above-ground 
part : the engines, the ventilators, etc. The principal 
ventilator is called the " Lady Dufferin," and there are 
two engines which go by the name of the " Lord Duf- 
ferin " and the " Lady Victoria." D. went down the 
mine with Fred and Colonel Fletcher. The shaft was 
1,000 feet, and it took them just fifty-four seconds to 
get to the bottom in a lift. They stayed down there an 
hour and a half, while I talked to the managers at the top. 

We got back to the Druid in time for dinner. All 
night there was a fearful noise going on — " coaling," 
just over our heads. 

Friday, 2^th. — Sailing through the Gut of Canso, 
with the land close to us on each side, on our way to 
Louisburg, where we anchor in the morning. 



104 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. viii 

Saturday, 26th. — There is a fog outside the harbor, so 
we are caught here, but have had a most pleasant day. 

I looked in a book of universal knowledge, and read 
that Louisburg, in addition to its historical interest, is a 
town with broad streets and stone houses ; it is, in re- 
ality, a small village, consisting of a few scattered wooden 
cottages. We landed at one of these, borrowed two 
gigs, and set off to drive twenty-five miles to the capital 
of Cape Breton, Sydney by name. D. drove me, and 
Fred the Colonel ; Lady Harriet remained on board. 

We drove through pretty woods, occasionally getting 
a glimpse of one of the several arms of the sea which cut 
Cape Breton in so many places, sat by the roadside to 
lunch, and reached Sydney in the afternoon. 

It is situated on a beautiful harbor, and we found 
several large steamers there ; the biggest was the Hi- 
bernia, which has just been laying the Atlantic cable, in 
company with the Great Eastern. We went on board 
her, and saw the machinery, and the tanks which held 
the cable. We had asked to see the mayor of the town, 
and when a gentleman jumped out of a carriage and ac- 
costed us, we took it for granted that this was he, and 
accepted his offer of a pair of fresh horses and a cup of 
tea. We went to his very pretty house, where his Eng- 
lish wife received us graciously ; and then D. heard that 
a deputation was waiting for him at the hotel. There 
he found the real Simon Pure, and spent an extra hour 
with him and the other magnates of the place; so that 
we left very late, and had a dark drive back through the 
woods. 

The weather was quite lovely, and the trip extremely 
pleasant. At four o'clock we bought a Sydney paper, in 
which we found our arrival announced. Very sharp of 
the Sydney Press. 

Louisburg : Sunday, 2/t/i. — We are detained here by 



JULYI873 HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, 105 

the fog. After church we went to look at the old forts ; 
there are scarcely any stone remains, but Colonel Fletch- 
er's military eye easily discovered the form and plan of 
the fortifications in the grass. 

Monday, 28th. — We started this morning, and got on 
a good way before the fog came down upon us again. 
Fog — rain — Atlantic swell ! 

Tuesday^ 2Qth. — Still very foggy. We had great 
doubts as to whether we should get into Halifax at all, 
and stories of ships being kept out for three weeks were 
rife. However, with great care, we poked our nose in 
just at the right place, and at two o'clock appeared in 
the harbor, to everybody's astonishment. 

It was so wet we did not go ashore, and put off our 
landing till next morning. The Lieutenant-Governor 
and Mrs. Archibald came to see us, and arrangements for 
endless gayeties were made. 

Wednesday^ 30th. — At twelve o'clock we landed, on a 
slab of marble which commemorates the arrival of the 
Prince of Wales on the same day, thirteen years ago. 

The weather was most dull and muggy, and gave a 
certain melancholy to the ceremonial of address reading. 
Fred and the Colonel had been exulting all the way upon 
again seeing "real soldiers," after all the Volunteers that 
have welcomed us in other places ; but I have been pro- 
vided with a fund of chaff against them by the non- 
arrival of the "real" guard of honor, who made some 
mistake, and turned up an hour later at the Government 
House, instead of at the wharf. 

I received Admiral Fanshawe, his wife and daughter 
and son, in the afternoon, and when the day cleared up 
and the sun shone we saw that we were anchored in a 
very cheerful place close to the town. Dartmouth, which 
is almost a part of Halifax, is on one side of us, and 
woods and villas and large institutions are dotted round 



I06 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. viil 

the Bay, while at the mouth of the harbor is a small forti- 
fied island. There is one man-of-war here, and we have 
just missed the Flying Squadron. 

There is a question as to whether Parliament should 
be prorogued on August 13th or not, and the papers are 
advising the Governor-General, and abusing him in ad- 
vance, if he does not follow each of their different coun- 
sels. 

Thursday^ 31st. — Lady Harriet and I went a drive 
with Mrs. Fanshawe, and saw the North-west Arm and 
Bedford Basin, and enjoyed the country drive ; the 
weather was lovely. 

In the evening we held a Drawing-room at Govern- 
ment House, and had the pleasure of " full-dressing " in 
our cabins. We got ashore in safety, and had a very 
successful gathering. Every one said, "We did not know 
there were so many people in Halifax." Going back to 
the ship, we found ourselves in a fog, and my feathers 
and tulle were much the worse for it. Dent says, with 
indignation, " Every day in this yacht takes pounds and 
pounds off the value of your clothes." 

Friday, August ist. — This was the day of the Regatta, 
and, had it been fine, it would have been a very pretty 
sight ; but as there were fog and rain, little except the 
lunch took place. 

We had a great dinner at the Lieutenant-Governor's, 
which was long but pleasant. One of my neighbors 
was the R. C. Archbishop of Halifax, a clever, amusing 
Irishman. The dinner had rather a funny finale. Mr. 
Archibald proposed the Queen's health, and we all stood 
up to drink it ; the band played the National Air, and at 
the end of the usual eight bars we all prepared to sit 
down. But no ; the band went on — a slight smile passed 
down the table ; eight bars more — the band strikes up 
another verse ; until at last, after several of these un- 



AUG. 1873 PRINCE LOUIS OF BATTENBERG. 107 

expected beginnings, the whole of the solemn and 
stately party broke out into a hearty laugh. 

There was an evening party after dinner, and D. 
and I walked about and talked to all the strangers till 
11.30 o'clock, when we returned to our ship. 

Saturday^ 2d. — Early this morning we went to visit 
the fortifications, and saw three different sets of forts. 
We returned to the Druid at two, and had the Local 
Government to lunch. They are in opposition to the 
Dominion Parliament, and their papers were rather dis- 
agreeable about our visit here ; but I am happy to say 
they have set aside all political differences for the mo- 
ment, and really seem as if they could not do enough 
for us. The result is, that next week we have four balls, 
three monster picnics, three dinners, a concert, a cricket- 
match, and a review. Is it not fearfully kind ? *' What 
shall I wear ? " is a question I must debate seriously 
every day. 

We dined to-night at Admiralty House with Admiral 
and Mrs. Fanshawe, where we met the same people as 
last night and a few sailors. One guest, a midshipman, 
was Prince Louis of Battenberg. 

Sunday^ jd. — We were to go to the English Cathedral 
to-day, but our coachman, after driving us to the Roman 
Catholic Cathedral, proceeded to another church, at 
which we remained, and only discovered afterwards that 
it was the wrong one. It was a lovely afternoon, and 
we sat on deck till bedtime. 

Monday, 4th. — A day of Herculean labors ! At 8.30 
A. M. D. went to breakfast with Admiral Fanshawe, to 
see his beautiful drawings. At ten we rowed down to 
the Dockyard to meet him, and all went on board the 
Royal Alfred. She and the Spartan manned yards as 
we approached, and then we got on board and went 
into every hole and corner of the ship. We had finished 



I08 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. viii 

the inspection about 12.30, when we returned to the 
Druid, and prepared to receive a party at luncheon, in- 
cluding the Lieutenant-Governor and the Admiral. No 
sooner had we finished this meal than we started for a 
picnic given by the Irish Benevolent Society. D. and I 
sailed to it in our own little boat. The rendezvous was 
at McNab's Island, and we were received on landing by 
gentlemen wearing green sashes. The President armed 
me up the hill by way of helping me. He, of course, 
impeded my progress considerably, and when he stumbled 
and nearly fell, told me that it was " the blind leading 
the blind." There was a lovely view from the door of 
the large picnic shed ; but we had to go in at once, and 
dance a quadrille. At five we had a " cold collation " 
and many toasts. The old Archbishop was rather 
amusing. When the chairman, who proposed his health, 
said he had known him for " forty years," he groaned 
aloud, which made us all laugh. We returned to the 
Druid 2X seven o'clock, and having re-dressed and re- 
dined, we left her again at eight, to attend a promenade 
concert in Horticultural Gardens. We did not " prome- 
nade " at all, but sat on the center one of three stages, 
a bright gaslight thrown full upon us, and an immense 
crowd looking on. On one side was the band of the 
60th Rifles, and on the other that of the 87th. They 
played in turns, and we remained till the end of the 
performance. To-day, at any rate, we have earned a 
night's repose. 

Tuesday, ^th. — Lady Harriet and I went a little shop- 
ping expedition this morning. At one shop I saw a poor 
woman who had come 250 miles to ask me to get her 
husband out of prison. I fear she did not believe that 
I really had not the power to do so. 

We were given a picnic to-day by the 87th Regiment. 
D. and I sailed down to the Island about five o'clock. 



AUG. 1873 LORD DUFFERIN'S SPEECH. 109 

There was a great number of people, and it was very 
pretty and amusing. 

When it was quite dark, we went out lobster-spearing. 
We had two boats, and two great torches in each, and 
we stood up — with poles forked at one end in our hands 
— and watched the bottom for lobsters. Presently we 
saw one crawling along ; I made a grab at him, but 
missed. Then came a second ; this time I was more 
careful, and aimed my weapon slowly at him, putting the 
fork right over his back, and then lifting him, kicking, 
into the boat. It was very exciting. We were only able 
to stay a very short time, but we " grabbed " at five and 
brought home three. 

Wednesday^ 6th. — A luncheon party on board, which 
went off very well. Then a visit to a great lunatic asy- 
lum — a beautiful one, so gay and clean and quiet. Al- 
most all the patients were out in the grounds, the band 
playing, and everything and everybody happy and peace- 
ful. It seems to be admirably managed, and the view 
from the building is splendid. D. dined with the Arch- 
bishop, and Lady Harriet and I with Mrs. Fanshawe. 
She had the Prince-Midshipman and some other sailors 
to meet us. 

Thursday^ yth. — We had another great lunch on board, 
which went off very well, in spite of the weather being 
rather wet and cold. 

In the evening D. dined at the Club, and made a 
speech upon the absolute impartiality of the Governor- 
General in party matters (there is great strife going on 
now), which was extremely well received. He ended by 
saying : " As a reasonable being the Governor-General 
can not help having convictions upon the merits of dif- 
ferent policies. But these considerations are abstract, 
speculative, devoid of practical effect on his official rela- 
tions. As the head of a Constitutional State, as engaged 



no MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. viil 

in the administration of Parliamentary Government, he 
has no political friends, still less need he have political 
enemies ; the possession of either — nay, even to be sus- 
pected of possessing either — destroys his usefulness. 
Sometimes, of course, no matter how disconnected his 
personality may be from what is taking place, his name 
will get dragged into some controversy, and he may sud- 
denly find himself the subject of criticism in the press 
of whatever party may for the moment be out of humor ; 
but under these circumstances he must console himself 
with the reflection that these spasmodic castigations are 
as transitory and innocuous as the discipline applied 
occasionally to their idol by the unsophisticated wor- 
shipers of Mumbo Jumbo when their harvests are short 
or a murrain visits their flocks." D. met me afterwards 
at a ball at the General's, where he had to dance every- 
thing till two o'clock. 

Friday, 8th. — We had a large lunch on board, and 
after it went to a review of the garrison and Volunteers 
on the common, and, as the afternoon was lovely, it was 
a very fine sight — red coats, brilliant staff, His Excel- 
lency and Fred riding about, cocked hats, rifles, bands, 
artillery, engineers, a sham fight, a large number of spec- 
tators, etc. 

To-night we had a really beautiful ball, given by the 
Legislative Council, in the Parliament Buildings. The 
ball-room is very lofty, has handsome cornices, and sev- 
eral full-length oil portraits hanging in it. The whole 
of the walls were covered with white calico, striped with 
bands of pink ; over the doors and window were " D.s," 
surrounded by pink-and- white flags; the curtains and 
all the windows were pink-and-white tarlatan, and it 
was all very bright and finished-looking. The supper- 
room was hung with real flags, and the entrance-hall 
was converted into a grotto of ferns. There was plenty 



AUG. 1873 PICNIC AT McNAB'S ISLAND, m 

of air in the dancing-room, and a very good band, and 
we really enjoyed it very much (you know there are 
occasionally entertainments which are more duty than 
pleasure). 

Saturday^ gth. — The political difficulties to which I 
have alluded call D. back to Ottawa, and he has had a 
very busy morning, writing farewell letters, and making 
arrangements for the long journey, which he begins to- 
night. If he had gone by rail it would have taken him 
at least seventy hours ; but he luckily catches an Eng- 
'lish mail steamer on its way to Quebec, which will take 
him part of the way, and will leave him within twenty- 
four hours' journey of Ottawa. 

In the afternoon we went to a monster picnic given 
to us by the citizens. The day was lovely, and we sailed 
down to McNab's Island in our boat. The Mayor, who 
received us, led us to the large shed, of which I have al- 
ready told you, where all the people were waiting for us. 
We danced a quadrille, and were applauded after it, and 
then a few round dances. After dinner D. made a speech, 
in which he "confided me to the care of the people of 
Halifax during his absence," and very soon after this 
we were conducted down .to the boats and returned to 
the Druid. 

At eight we went to Government House, and were 
met there by a torchlight procession, and by a grand 
fire-engine demonstration, the engines preceding us, and 
being brilliantly illuminated. Many of the houses also 
were lighted up, and there was an immense crowd in the 
town, which we drove slowly through, back to Queen's 
Wharf, where a guard of honor was in waiting, and 
where D. said " good-by." The torches all remained 
at the pier till we had reached the Druid ; it was a beau- 
tiful sight. 

D. and Colonel Fletcher got on board the Nestorian 



112 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. viii 

at ten, and we watched them steaming past us ; both we 
and they sent off some rockets. And now, here am I, 
alone for a week, doing " Governor-General " at Hali- 
fax. 

Monday, nth. — This was a very tiring day. In the 
morning I had a great many things to do for D., and in 
the afternoon I had lunch with the Archibalds, which 
lasted till after four ; and at 6.30 had to be at the Gen- 
eral's* house for dinner. 

He was too ill to appear, and we were a small party 
of eight. After dinner we proceeded to the theatre, 
where we saw " Still Waters Run Deep " and " Under 
the Rose " acted by amateurs. There were some excel- 
lent actors, and I enjoyed it very much. I received 
three bouquets, which I carried together in an enor- 
mous bunch. The best performers were Major and 
Mrs. Hall, Captain and Mrs. Mitchell Innes, Captain 
Wallace of the 60th Rifles, and Mr. Poe, who is on the 
Royal Alfred. 

I went to supper at the Artillery Barracks, and I 
believe there was dancing afterwards, but, mercifully, I 
knew nothing of it, and left before there were any symp- 
toms of such an intention. I was so very tired. 

Tuesday^ 12th. — Mr. and Mrs. Robinson came on 
board to say " Good-by," and I had a lunch for four- 
teen people. My guests were two handsome Toronto 
girls and two admirers of theirs, the Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor and his family (five), and Captain and Mrs. O'Gra- 
dy Haly. He is the General's son and A. D. C. 

It was a lovely afternoon, and after lunch we drove 
through the Horticultural Gardens to a cricket-match — 
the 60th Rifles against the Garrison. 

Then we dined with Admiral and Mrs. Fanshawe, 

* The late General Sir W. O'Grady Haly. 



AUG. 1 873 INDUSTRIAL HOMES. II3 

and went with them to the ball on board the Royal Al- 
fred. 

I did like this entertainment. The ship was close to 
the wharf. The deck was divided at the mast into two 
parts — supper-room and ball-room, and at midnight the 
partition was taken down. The funnel was beautifully 
decorated with arms — swords, bayonets, etc. — and was 
surrounded by jets of gas. The supper-tables were ar- 
ranged between it and the mainmast, round which 
there was a rockery and fernery, in which water trickled 
and frogs disported themselves. The band sat upon a 
scaffolding round the mast. The whole was covered in 
with flags, and all the companions, compasses, wheels, 
etc., etc., were ornamented with plants. The poop made 
a second ball-room, also covered, in the shape of a bell- 
tent, and I had a seat there, and a good view of the 
ball. Those who preferred Nature could gaze out in 
the opposite direction upon the moonlit sea. I did not 
occupy the chair-of-state much, but danced, and enjoyed 
myself. 

Wednesday, ijth. — I took a long rest this morning, 
and was ready in the afternoon to visit some Protestant 
charities. 

The first was an orphan-home, and the second a very 
interesting reformatory for boys. It is on a new prin- 
ciple and seems to answer admirably. All the inmates 
are, or were, criminals. There are no walls, or bolts, or 
bars, and the boys are even allowed to go into the town 
"on honor." They promise to return, and do. 

They all learn trades, and do not leave the Home till 
they are able to earn their bread. They choose one of 
four trades, and are allowed to change their minds once. 
We saw them hard at work, carpentering, shoemaking, 
tailoring, and cabinet-making, the smaller ones cutting 
up firewood, and tying it in bundles. They also do 
9 



114 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. viii 

gardening and farm-work, and have got small pieces of 
garden and pets of their own, and a band ; school-work 
is done in the evening. The boys looked very happy, 
and the few who at different times have run away gen- 
erally return of their own accord. 

This evening a ball was given to us by the 6oth 
Rifles. It was a most successful one. The room looked 
like a very smart lady's boudoir, and was beautifully 
lighted with wax candles. I danced a great deal, and 
liked the entertainment extremely. We were not home 
till three. 

Thursday^ 14th. — I had to leave Lady Harriet in bed 
with an asthmatic cold, while I delivered myself over to 
the Roman Catholic Archbishop. Fred and I visited 
his house and his Cathedral, and a convent, and went 
on to his country place, where he had 150 people at 
lunch to meet me. The lunch was out of doors, and 
was really very pleasant. There was a band, and little 
wooden platforms, on which we were supposed to dance! 
— and did try to, but every one is worn out with past 
gayeties. I got back to the ship at five (having left it 
at twelve), and at nine I attended the Sergeants' Ball. 

The political excitement is fearful, and we hear that 
the Opposition is going to ask for the Governor-Gen- 
eral's recall ! ! So expect us home in disgrace. 

Saturday, i6th. — We went to Dartmouth, and visited 
a rope manufactory, and a skate manufactory, where I 
was presented with a grand box containing two lovely 
pairs of Acme skates, for D. and me. We drove on 
seven miles, by a chain of lakes, till we came to an old- 
fashioned inn, where we had lunch. After this we went 
to a gold-mine, and saw all the process of extracting the 
precious metal, which I thought very interesting. This 
ended our sight-seeing. All day we went about in a 
procession of ten carriages, I gave a dinner to the 



AUG. i873 ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK. 115 

amateur actors on board the Druid^ and afterwards 
went to see them do "Caste," which was very amus- 
ing. 

Monday, i8th. — We left our dear Druid early in the 
morning, and drove to the train, where the Lieutenant- 
Governor met us and escorted us for about six hours on 
our way. We passed through " Evangeline's " country 
to the Bay of Fundy, where we got into a crazy-looking 
steamer and sailed for St. John. Here the Mayor, 
Sheriff, etc., came to meet me, and there was a great 
crowd on the landing. Never was I so stared at as to- 
day. When D. is with me I feel that I am only part of 
the show ; but alone, I have to bear it all At the sta- 
tions people looked in at the windows, and gazed at me 
while I ate sandwiches (of all the things in the world ! ) ; 
when we got to the hotel, a crowd outside eyed me, and 
a crowd inside stared at me, and on the stairs Yankee 
visitors criticised me, " I guess " ; I went to my room for 
a little, and on my way to dinner I found them all still 
on the stairs, and they looked at me through the hinges 
of the door ; when I came up again there was a couple 
walking arm-in-arm in my room, and three ladies look- 
ing into it ; but I walked by them in so stately a man- 
ner that they sent me word they had only come to put 
some flowers there. Then the crowd outside would not 
go, and I had to stand at the window, and be cheered, 
and hear '' God save the Queen " (to which I have no 
right whatsoever). 

Tuesday, iQth. — D. arrived here this morning. He 
left Ottawa on Friday, slept that night at Montreal, and 
Saturday night at some place in the White Mountains,* 
where he found a ball going on. Sunday, he saw the 
scenery, and came on here at night. 

* In the State of Maine. 



Il6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. viii 

The whole day was wet, and I can not say I was 
sorry to have a complete rest. 

This is a fine hotel, upon American principles. The 
cooking is excellent, and we dine alone, and are waited 
upon by our own servants in a " private dining-room," 
which seems to us a very noisy one after the ship. The 
floor is covered with oilcloth, there are no curtains, and 
outside there is always going on a racket of plates and 
voices. Some kind of steam-engine thumps underneath, 
and carriages rattle down the street. We manage our 
dinner in a tolerably English fashion ; but if we fol- 
lowed the " mode," we should eat in a great room, filled 
with various-sized tables, with a large " bill-of-fare " 
by us to choose from. After each mouthful a familiar 
waiter would lean his hand upon his knee, and, staring 
into our faces, ask " What we should like next ? " Then, 
at every pause, and on every opportunity, he would pour 
us out a large glass of cold water, and place it ostenta- 
tiously before us — this even at breakfast, when the sight 
of it makes one shudder. Salt-spoons are unknown ; you 
use your knife instead. 

Our own sitting-room is very nice and comfortable. 
Everything is arranged so that one may require as few 
servants as possible ; and this is lucky, for an idiot gen- 
erally answers one's bell, and is merely bewildered by 
one's order. 

There is a large public drawing-room, and the guests 
also perambulate the passages a good deal. 

Our maids enjoy themselves, as they dine with the 
company, and can have many kinds of food, while they 
fill their heads with the fashions. Dent gave a sigh of 
relief when she dressed me this morning, as she said, 
*'Well, I am thankful none of them have a dress like 
this ! " " Them " are Americans, who are all in a sort of 
uniform of gray, with enormous buttons. I was amused 



AUG. i873 PROCESSION OF SCHOOLS, 117 

by seeing in the papers this telegram : " Mackenzie has 
left for Halifax, to worry the Governor-General." Mac- 
kenzie is the chief of the Opposition, and D. is the Gov- 
ernor-General. 

Wednesday^ 20th. — At eleven D. and I went to some 
public room, where an address was presented, and at 
three the Reception Committee came for us, and took us 
in carriages all about and around the city. 

There is a fine harbor, and we saw it well, and visited 
many of the pretty villas, and got, in fact, a good idea 
of St. John. 

We dined almost directly we came in, and dressed 
for the Drawing-room, which was held in a great room 
in this hotel. It went off extremely well, and we stayed 
and talked to the people when the presentations were 
over. 

Thursday^ 21st. — This morning, early, we started to 
see the Regatta. I had a headache, and no sooner got 
on board the steamer, which was crowded with people, 
than I found that, although I might sit through four 
hours, I certainly could not talk and smile through 
them ; so I went to the cabin, and lay still all the time 
of the races. The day was lovely, and the crowds of 
people on the shore and crowded into the rigging of the 
ships which filled the harbor made it a pretty sight and 
a most successful entertainment. We got home in the 
middle of the day, and were quiet till five, when a pro- 
cession of the schools came to the door of the hotel, 
and we stood on the steps to see them. 

I believe about 4,000 children were collected, and 
they were to have stood around us ; but the crowd was 
so great it was impossible for them all to get through. 
A small circle was formed for those who were dressed 
up to represent the Provinces, and they gave me a bou- 
quet ; the other children had to stand where they could. 



Il8 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. viii 

D. made a speech to the sea of heads, which few of the 
waves heard, but which will read well, I hope. 

In the evening carriages were again ready, and we 
drove through the town in a procession. 

Being part of the procession we saw little of it till 
the end, when our carriage stood to let the crowd pass 
us. There was an immense stream of walking lights, 
and all the fire-engines were lighted up, and ornamented 
with wreaths and flowers. Some of the horses had high 
arches of roses over their backs. The crowd was per- 
fectly tremendous, and received us heartily. When we 
got into the hotel, we went to a window on the second 
story to look down upon the crowd, and they saw us 
and cheered. 

Friday, 22d. — We had a long drive of fourteen miles 
to Chief-Justice Ritchie's house, where we were to 
lunch. The drive was through a beautiful country, and 
we had several warm greetings on our way. An arch 
was put up at one place, and a bouquet presented. At 
another private house the gate was hung with flowers, 
and the lady stepped out with a second bouquet for me, 
while a third was brought me further on. 

We had lunch, or what was called a " high tea " ; but 
there was no tea — only champagne. Returning home, 
we found several bonfires lighted along the route. 

We reached our hotel at eight, and dressed for the 
ball. This was given in a new theatre, and was got up 
in a great hurry. The floor had to be laid down over 
the pit, and the decorations to be done, and during the 
day we heard that it was not nearly finished, and that it 
would be dull and wretched. 

It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise when we reached 
the door and saw a brilliant room, the stage end with 
" Welcome " in gas-lights over two crimson chairs, the 
floor lined with ball-dressed people, the boxes and the 



AUG. 1873 FREDERICTON. I jq 

dress-circle filled with spectators, draperies of red and 
green, flags, plants, and cages of birds (which sang and 
gave a rural sentiment to the entertainment), and a very- 
beautiful string-band playing " God save the Queen." 
Supper was in the green-room. The ball was very suc- 
cessful and amusing. There were many Americans pres- 
ent ; they dance in quite a different style from ours. 

Saturday^ 2jd. — We felt very sleepy when we were 
called this morning, but we had to be down at the 
steamer at ten, and could not allow ourselves any lazy 
indulgences. 

We drove with the Mayor to the wharf, and were 
met by a great crowd, and there was much waving of 
handkerchiefs and cheering as we left. Our journey was 
up a splendid river, the St. John, with lovely scenery all 
the way. About five miles from Fredericton we were 
met by three steamers crammed full of children and 
people, who greeted us warmly, and, having once begun 
to cheer, felt obliged to carry it on the whole way. 

Mr. Wilmot, the Lieutenant-Governor of New Bruns- 
wick, met us at the landing-place, with a number of 
people, and we had a most gracious reception at this, 
*' the ambitious little city," " the celestial city," Freder- 
icton. 

We dined early, and went to the Exhibition Building, 
where the address was to be presented. It is a very fine 
building, though only made of rough wood, distempered ; 
but it has good proportions, and is very large. There 
were at least 3,000 people present. The school-children 
sang, and after the speeches we walked round, and then 
got into a carriage and drove in the torchlight proces- 
sion. The engines looked beautiful ; but my pleasure 
was somewhat destroyed by my dread of fire. The 
torches were paraffin lamps, and the way in which many 
of them were spilled about the ground, and went on 



I20 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. viii 

burning there, muslin gowns walking carelessly close to 
them, made me fear some bad accident. Rockets and 
Roman candles were also flying wildly about. 

This Government House (where we are staying with 
the Wilmots, who are both most kind to us) is a very 
good one ; the river passes the house, and a very pretty 
flower garden goes down to it. 

Sunday, 24th. — A pouring wet day, and very stormy. 
We got to the Cathedral in a close carriage. It is rather 
a fine one, and is quite finished — strange to say ! The 
rest of the day we spent quietly, the greater part of 
the time in our rooms. 

Monday, 2^th. — The people of Fredericton had ar- 
ranged a picnic for us to-day, so we started off on our 
business directly after breakfast. We went first to see 
an interesting settlement, the property of a Mr. Gibson. 
Eight years ago there was not a house in the place; 
now there are good cottages for the laborers, fine houses 
for Mr. Gibson and his sons, a very ornamental church, 
and a school. He has done everything himself, and the 
place is quite a Happy Valley. His business is lumber. 
His old mother, who left our neighborhood in Ireland 
fifty-fours ago, was so delighted to see some one from 
" home." Her parents having objected to her marriage, 
never wrote to her, and I wish they could see her now, 
in her son's fine house, surrounded by every comfort 
that money could buy her, her granddaughter playing 
the organ, and her son so much respected and honored ! 

After this visit we got into the train, and with a 
large company of people went thirty miles up the new 
line, and half-way back again, to a place on the St. 
John River, where an arbor of evergreens had been 
erected, under which 250 people lunched. 

A band played, toasts were proposed, and all went 
off well, in spite of rather dull, cold weather. 



AUG. 1873 GRAND FALLS. 12 1 

In the evening there was a dinner and a party, the 
principal excitement of which was that Fred and a 
young lady disappeared for more than an hour into an 
illuminated garden ; that her parents were asking every 
one where their daughter was ; and that, consequently, 
all eyes were fixed upon the culprits when they returned. 
Fred has had a great deal of chaff to stand ever since, 
particularly as the father said " Good night, my son," to 
him. 

We were told that, at the hotel where the young lady 
was staying, other young ladies remarked that " they 
thought it was very bad taste in a girl thus to monopo- 
lize an Aide-de-Camp " ! 

Tuesday^ 26th. — We left Fredericton in the morn- 
ing, accompanied for an hour by the Wilmots, the Sher- 
iff, etc., and proceeded on our way to Woodstock, a 
drive of sixty-five miles. At a half-way house we 
changed horses and had lunch. We drove all the way 
through lovely scenery, following the river St. John, 
and enjoying ourselves very much. We reached Wood- 
stock in time for dinner, and directly afterwards went to 
the Court House to receive an address, and to see a 
large assemblage of people. We finished the evening 
by driving in a torchlight procession. I can't say how 
many bouquets I received to-day ! 

Wednesday, 2'jth. — We had a fine day and a delight- 
ful drive, changing horses four times in the seventy 
miles. We lunched at a charming little inn, and slept 
at Grand Falls. To our surprise, we found two arches 
at this little place, all the cottages illuminated, magnifi- 
cent bonfires, an address, and an assembly of people in 
the Court House; and after we had gone to bed we 
heard " Rule Britannia " being sung all round the house. 
There was also a very pretty procession of birch-bark 
torches. The inn was kept by a North of Ireland 



122 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. viii 

lady, and was perfect ! The Grand Falls here are very 
fine. 

Thursday^ 28th. — We started at eight punctually this 
morning, for v/e have 250 miles to go, and drove on as 
before, stopping to have lunch by the way, and sleeping 
at a little French inn. The family got up a dance when 
we had gone to bed, and we heard the fiddle going, and 
our servant instructing them in a Scotch reel, during half 
the night. 

Friday^ 2Qth. — AVe got up very early, and drove, 
drove, drove on through forest nearly the whole day. 
We saw one great fire in the wood, and were nearly 
choked as we passed through it. We missed seeing a 
beautiful lake owing to the clouds of smoke hanging 
over it. 

We reached Riviere du Loup about five in the after- 
noon, and got a tug steamer to take us straight over to 
Tadousac. 

There we found the whole party of children in their 
dressing-gowms, just going to bed. The five elder ones 
are looking so fat, and rosy, and well; but my baby is a 
mite indeed ! 

Saturday^ joth. — Our summer tour is now over, and I 
return to a prosy account of home affairs. We have 
done all we intended to do ; and the drive of 250 miles 
in four days was a very pleasant termination to our tour. 
The Druid was to have met us at Riviere du Loup, but 
was detained by storm, and only reached Tadousac this 
morning. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE FALL, 1873, 

Tadousac : Monday^ September ist. — I seized upon a 
fine morning to bathe witti the children. It is rather 
late in the season for a first dip, but I could not resist 
trying it, though the water is at all times extremely cold 
here. We prepared for the bath in our own rooms, and, 
covered with waterproofs, ran down to the water. My 
costume is of the brightest orange, and is very striking.. 
We are very quiet here, and D. very busy. He is writ- 
ing the whole day long. 

Friday^ ^th. — We went on board the Druid just be- 
fore dinner, last night, and took Nelly with us for a little 
holiday. The night was rather rough, but the wind suited, 
and we reached Quebec early this morning. We found 
Mr. G. Brodrick * at the hotel, and D. brought him up 
to stay with us ; he is very pleasant, and gave us much 
English news. I drove him to the Montmorency Falls, 
and just as we were on our way to the Natural Steps we 
were caught in a heavy shower, and got rather wet. 
These steps are very curious. The river narrows at this 
place, and has cut a regular staircase in the rock through 
which it makes its way. D. did not move from his desk 
all day ; he was up till two, and the clerks till four, and 
the steamer had to wait half an hour this morning (Sat- 
urday) for the monster dispatch. 

* The Hon. G. C. Brodrick, now Warden of Merton College, Oxford. 



124 ^'^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. ix 

Friday, 12th. — We gave an outdoor afternoon party 
on the platform, and were anxious about the weather, 
which turned out to be perfectly lovely. The amuse- 
ments consisted of a band, dancing, a bear, and my chil- 
dren (who all arrived in the morning) to be looked at. 
Basil was a splendid sight, and had the air of Henry 
VIII, as he sat back in a small rocking-chair, with his 
sturdy form and rosy cheeks. The others are very flour- 
ishing, and the " family " did us credit, particularly as I 
did not show my baby, of whom I can not yet be proud. 
Instead of her, we exhibited the Queen's present to her 
godchild. It is a large medallion, with Her Majesty's 
head in raised gold in the center, surrounded by rows of 
diamonds, pink coral, and pearls. On the back is en- 
graved, " Lady Victoria Alexandrina Blackwood, from 
her godmother, Victoria R." 

Saturday, 13th. — The day was pouring wet. I had a 
visit from a charming lady, a Miss Florence Lees.* She 
has been thoroughly trained as a surgical nurse, and did 
nurse, and underwent great fatigues (not to say danger) 
in the Franco-Prussian War. She wears the Iron Cross, 
and another order, which only three ladies possess. 
After nursing twenty-two men through typhus fever be- 
fore Metz, she took charge of the Crown Princess's Am- 
bulance at Homburg. She has been sent out to visit the 
hospitals in Canada and the States ; and all anti-women- 
working people ought to see her ! 

Monday, i^th. — I took the children to some athletic 
sports, and after lunch we drove out to the Cemetery. 
It is a very pretty one, and the trees are most of them 
decorated with a crimson or a golden branch — the first 
touch of autumn 



* Now the wife of the Rev. Dacre Craven, Rector of St. George the 
Martyr, Holbom, London. 



SEPT. 1873 CONVENTS. 125 

Wednesday^ lyth, — A football match took place this 
afternoon. The Dufferin Club were dressed in blue-and- 
orange jerseys, caps, and stockings; and the B Battery 
(the Citadel soldiers) wore red. Colonel Fletcher played 
on their side. The soldiers were somewhat rough, and 
one gentleman had his nose broken. The Dufferin Club 
won. 

Saturday^ 20th. — The Stadacona Hunt met to-day, 
and had, as usual, the worst possible weather. I drove 
out with the children to see the meet, and they were 
amused for a short time watching the jumping; but we 
felt so cold that we took advantage of a heavy shower 
as an excuse for returning home very soon. 

Monday, 22d. — rl inspected two convents this after- 
noon, which D. had visited without me last year. The 
first was the *' Bon Pasteur." The Misses Carron and 
some other young ladies were there to meet us, and to 
take charge of my A. D. C. The inspection was very 
long. First I was introduced to all the nuns, and spe- 
cially to the Irish ones ; and I saw the novices, and the 
school-children, who sang and read an address ; then we 
passed to a large room where the penitents were col- 
lected, and observed how they had given up the pomps 
and vanities of the world, for the most unbecoming dress 
possible. We looked at the beautiful embroideries, and 
at the useful work the nuns do ; admired the chapel, and 
visited the reformatory school, besides going into every 
bedroom, etc. 

Having thoroughly done the " Bon Pasteur," we pro- 
ceeded to the *' Grey Sisters," who take charge of old 
people and orphan children. Here I visited three dif- 
ferent divisions of the schools, and in each room found 
a prettily-decorated throne, songs, and a request from 
the youngest child present for a holiday. The Grand 
Vicaire was my spokesman on each occasion. He went 



126 MV CA NA DIA N JO URN A L. ch. ix 

round with me and made little exhortations — thus reliev- 
ing me of the necessity of finding something to say to 
everybody. 

Tuesday^ 2jd. — Such a wet day ! We just managed 
to get out on the platform for half an hour, for a game 
of very odd football with a brick, with the children, and 
had to give up all hopes of dancing there in the even- 
ing. 

We had a dinner party, and then a " drum " ; and as 
the balcony failed us, we opened our one passage, and 
the young ladies promenaded up and down, and drank 
tea, and cracked crackers, and had supper, and seemed 
to bear the disappointment about the dancing very well. 

Wednesday, 24th. — We had a bride and bridegroom to 
dinner. They have been married six weeks, and are 
taking an immense tour, on their way to Japan and 
India. I am quite surprised at the small quantity of 
clothes she carries about for so extensive a tour, and 
one comprising so many climates. Two serge dresses, 
one " good " silk, cut square, and a black silk skirt with 
a white " top " : with these, she has entered into the 
smartest New York society, and is going round the 
world. 

Saturday, 2yth. — This was a most lovely warm day, 
and the weekly Paper Hunt was a very gay affair. About 
thirty people were riding, and nearly twenty carriages 
following. We saw the jumping very well, and the 
country looked quite beautiful with its autumn-many- 
colored hills, the blue river, and the gay villages with 
their shining spires and roofs. The riders found the sun 
almost too hot. 

Wednesday, October ist. — In the afternoon I took the 
children out to see a collection of birds made by Mr. 
Lemoine. The trees in his place were lovely, the leaves 
being now of the most brilliant colors — some trees per- 



OCT. 1873 VISITORS. 



127 



fectly crimson, and others orange, with yellow ones and 
dark green firs all mixed. 

Thursday, 2d. — We were surprised this morning to 
find it snowing ; but the day cleared up, and after our 
dinner the young ladies and the " drum " generally 
danced out of doors on the platform. We had a very 
nice party : the dancing amused some, and the Boston 
Quintette Club, who are here now, brought their instru- 
ments and played beautifully to us ; we had supper, and 
people left after twelve o'clock. 

Saturday, 4th. — The ground covered with snow, and 
a dismal snowstorm still going on. This is rather early 
to begin winter, but we hope to see the ground once 
more before it disappears until May. 

Monday, 6th. — A very wet day ; our intended visit to 
the Indians, and all the sports of the week, postponed. 
Mr. and'Mrs. Rothery * arrived. He is the British Com- 
missioner who is to settle the fishery part of the Wash- 
ington Treaty. His wife, George Dallas (his secretary), 
and a young Mr. Russell, are with him. They lunched 
with us. 

Tuesday, yth. — Fred went off before breakfast to 
train for the race which he is to ride. He has scant 
hopes of winning, as he walks a stone over the proper 
riding weight, and his horse has just come off the grass. 
In fact, his only chances lie in the possible misfortune of 
others. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rothery dined with us, and we went to 
the Sergeants' Dance, where we opened the ball with the 
Sergeant-Major and his wife. 

Wednesday, 8th. — I visited an asylum for old women, 
and paid a morning visit to the Ursuline nuns. The 
children were so astonished when a dozen cheerful ladies 

* The late Mr. Rothery, Commissioner for Wrecks. 



128 ^^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. ix 

dressed in black appeared behind a double grating to 
talk to us. Basil and Hermie could not get over it at 
all, and Nelly seemed greatly amused. The key of the 
room into which we went was handed to us through a 
hole in the wall, so that nothing could be seen but the 
hand that held it. 

Thursday, gth. — The weather was so beautiful that we 
could not tear ourselves away from the " home-vie^/," 
and remained on the balcony all day. 

In the evening the Lieutenant-Governor, Admiral 
Hillyard, and twenty-four others dined with us, and we 
had a party. As the night was perfect, our guests 
danced to the light of the moon, and were much pleased 
with the entertainment. But it began badly, for when 
the band was wanted to play, it was discovered that the 
men were all asleep in bed, so there was nothing for it 
but to drink tea while we waited for them to awake 
and dress. 

Friday, loth. — We were startled this morning by fif- 
teen guns, — our guns saluting the General (O'Grady 
Haly), who arrived by the Montreal boat. We sent 
down the carriage, and an invitation for him to stay 
with us. 

We have begun to prepare for our ball, and I am try- 
ing to solve the difficulties we have to encounter in 
moving from Quebec, All our servants, plate, etc., have 
to be at the ball on Tuesday night. Then all has to be 
packed to start Wednesday afternoon ; the servants are 
to get to Ottawa Thursday evening, and visitors come on 
Saturday. Parliament meets on the Wednesday after. 

We went to see the " Stadacona Races." I took the 
General, D. rode, and the jockey (Fred), of course, was 
on the course before. He wore a lilac jacket and cap, 
weighed twenty-one pounds too much, and his horse was 
not " fit." There were twelve hurdles and seven brooks 



OCT. i873 BALL AT THE CLTADEL. 1 29 

to jump. The "favorite" threw his rider at the first 
fence. The remaining three had a good race, and the 
end was most exciting, Fred coming in a very good sec- 
ond in spite of all his disadvantages. He rode beauti- 
fully. The other races did not interest us greatly, but 
the weather was magnificent. 

Saturday, nth. — The General inspected the B Battery 
before breakfast, and we looked on ; and then I assisted 
at the first meeting of the " Clandeboye Football Club " 
— all boys under twelve. There are twenty members. 
They had two capital games, and afterwards elected a 
secretary, Archie being president. 

Monday, 13th. — The morning looked bad, but the day 
cleared up, and it was fine, but excessively cold. 

The athletic sports were most successful, and crowds 
of people were present, who seemed to enjoy themselves 
very much. The esplanade was fringed with people, 
bands playing and flags flying. 

Tuesday, 14th. — The ball-room looked unpromising 
this morning. The decoration had yet to be done, and, 
worse than all, the platform, upon which we are so de- 
pendent for room, was covered with puddles. However, 
we set to work : sailors decorating the outside, and my- 
self and maids the inside. Fred Ward got in three stoves 
which he set a-going under the tent, and with which he 
successfully dried the floor and the roof; still, the 
weather looked so bad that we got ready two of the 
children's bedrooms to act as safety valves should the 
company be unable to use the platform. 

In the dancing-room I had three hooks in the middle 
of the ceiling, to use as keynotes to my ornamentation, 
and from these I brought ropes of pink, white, and blue 
tarlatan, and made the room look like a tent, with a 
chandelier hanging from the center of each group of 
ropes. The ropes were fastened all round to the cornice, 
10 



130 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. IX 

which was finished off with festoons and roses. It looked 
very light and pretty. There was a heavy shower at six 
o'clock, and then it cleared, and everything went off 
well. The platform was so popular that it ended in our 
having almost too much room in the ball-room. The sup- 
per, too, Mr. Pattisson managed very well. The room 
only held sixty, and we were 330 ; but there was no 
crush, and the relays were kept quite distinct, and each 
sat down comfortably. The guests stayed till 2.30, hav- 
ing begun to dance soon after nine. 

Wednesday^ iSi^i- — We took a farewell walk on the 
beautiful platform before going down to the boat, where 
we found many of our friends waiting to say good-by. 
The Lieutenant-Governor paid me a state visit at the 
Citadel. 

Montreal^ Thiij^sday^ i6th. — We had a comfortable pas- 
sage to Montreal, and were all glad of a good long night 
on board the boat. To-day D. was kept extremely busy 
seeing different people. We managed between two in- 
terviews to get a little walk in the streets, and at one 
o'clock, he being unable to come, I went to the Geologi- 
cal Museum, and was shown part of the collection of 
fossils by Professor Dawson, which I enjoyed very much. 
After lunch we had to start off immediately to take Mr. 
and Mrs. Rothery over the '' Mont Ste. Marie " convent. 
The nuns had only two days' notice of our intention, 
but every preparation had been made, except white 
gowns for the girls, so they were in black. 

After we had gone over the house accompanied by 
the Sisters, the Bishop of Montreal (an old man, with 
long, white hair), and the Archbishop of St. Boniface 
(Manitoba), we were shown into the salle de reception^ 
where all the young ladies were assembled. Here we had 
music, and a little piece acted by the " Muses " and the 
" Graces," each stating the reasons why she was specially 



OCT. i873 OTTAWA. I^i 

privileged to present the address to His Excellency. 
This had of course been composed for the occasion. 

Friday J lyt/i. — We traveled up to Ottawa, and found 
all the children well, and "the house looking so nice. 
Many improvements have been made, and our principal 
passages have had new crimson carpets, and white paint 
on the doors and walls ; so they look very gay and smart. 
After all our travels, home looks very comfortable, and 
we should be very happy but for political anxieties. 

The Judges came to bring D. the report of the Com- 
mission. 

Saturday^ i8th. — I was busy all day getting the draw- 
ing-room to look " lived-in." The Rotherys arrived in 
the evening. The weather was wet and bad. 

Wednesday^ 22d. — To-night we had the Ministerial 
banquet, and were thirty at dinner. The only missing 
Ministers were Dr. Robitaille and Mr. Tilly. 

Thursday^ 2jd.^—^^Q dressed for the "opening" 
before lunch — low gowns, feathers and diamonds, uni- 
forms or evening coats — and at 2.30 set off in carriages : 
Mr, and Mrs. Rothery, Mr. Pattisson and I in one; Lady 
Harriet Fletcher, my three children, etc., etc., in others, 
and the Governor-General in a carriage-and-four behind 
us. He opened a bridge on his way, which is to be 
called the Dufferin Bridge, and then came on, and entered 
the House with a very brilliant staff — for he had this 
year a number of officers and friends in uniforms accom- 
panying him. The Senate Chamber was full ; numbers 
of ladies on the floor, and crowds of people in the gal- 
leries. D. read the speech in French and in English. 

Friday, 24th. — At last we have a lovely day. I took 
Mrs. Rothery, Mr. Brodrick, and Mr. Russell to see the 
Chaudiere Falls, and we also went over a lucifer-match 
manufactory. 

Saturday, 2^th. — I gave the prizes for some athletic 



132 MY CANA DIA N JO URNAL. CH. ix 

sports, Mr. Brodrick and Mr. Rothery went to a Minis- 
terial dinner, and brought us home much news. Lord 
Rosebery (who came to us to-day) dined with the Oppo- 
sition ; but, although they sat till twelve, they never 
mentioned the great fight which is coming off on Mon- 
day, and about which they were all thinking, but talked 
instead of Shakespeare and the musical glasses. The 
Archbishop of Manitoba (Riel's protector) dined with 
us. 

Monday, 2'jth. — The great debate began ; but I did 
not go to the House, and D. and I had Rideau to our- 
selves. 

Tuesday, 28th. — I went to the House to-day, and re- 
mained till II P.M. I heard Sir Francis Hincks,* Mr. 
Macdonald, of Pictou (who is a very good speaker, but 
untrained), and a Mr. Glass.f It is supposed that Mr. 
Blake \ and Sir John Macdonald * are waiting for each 
other. 

Wednesday and Thursday, 2pth and joth. — Our 
thoughts and time still occupied by the debate. The 
first day, two speakers took up the whole time. 

Satui'day, November ist. — The weather is very wretch- 
ed, and very English-wintery. It tries to snow, and 
succeeds in sleetmg and being raw and dull. 

I saw people, for the first time since my return, to- 
day ; 134 visitors came. I had Lady Harriet and Mrs, 
Rothery and the young men to help me, and the after- 
noon was pleasant and like a party. 

Monday, jd. — Mr. Brodrick left this morning. We 
(ladies) went to the House of Commons at three o'clock. 



* Sir Francis Hincks, member for Vancouver, British Columbia, 
f Mr. Glass, member for London (city), Ontario. 
\ Mr. E. Blake, member for South Bruce, subsequently Minister of 
Justice in Mr. Mackenzie's Cabinet, 1873. * The Premier. 



NOV. 1873 MACDON AID'S CABINET RESIGNS. 133 

Before the recess for dinner, there was a little scrimmage 
over His Excellency's dispatches, and at the end of this 
we adjourned for two hours. 

At a quarter to nine Sir John Macdonald rose and 
spoke for five hours, making a very fine speech, full of 
power, lively, and forcible to the end. He did not fail 
in the slightest degree while speaking, but when he sat 
down he was completely exhausted, and his voice was 
quite gone. Mr. Blake got up after him^ but adjourned 
the debate in a few minutes, and will finish his speech 
to-morrow. 

Tuesday, 4th. — I did not hear Mr. Blake. He spoke 
for five hours too. 

Wednesday, ^th. — I drove into Ottawa, intending to 
hear the speeches and see the division, but at the 
Office I was told that Sir John was with the Governor- 
General. As the House would not sit without him, I 
remained in the carriage, and soon we saw Colonel 
Fletcher taking Mr. Mackenzie to His Excellency. Of 
course, we guessed that he had been " sent for " ; and 
the groups of two and three who stood about turned 
their heads curiously and nodded in a knowing way. 

We took our places in the House, and Sir John got 
up and briefly announced that the Government had 
resigned. The announcement was received in perfect 
silence. 

The Opposition, directly Jt was over, crossed the 
House to their new desks. 

Saturday, 2 2d. — This is the family half-holiday; so 
after dinner we went down to the ice, and exerted our- 
selves to learn the Dutch roll — mother and children and 
governesses struggling and tumbling about, but all 
making great progress. 

Monday, 24th. — There is a regular snowstorm going 
on. Skating was out of the question, so we went out 



134 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. ix 

to toboggan. The snow was soft and loose, and we 
were nearly choked and buried in it ; but, of course, 
the children liked this very much. 

Tuesday, 2^th. — We were inveigled down to the ice 
in a biting cold wind, but were too much blown about 
to learn anything. 

Monday, December ist. — D. had a party of Scotchmen 
for curling and lunch (St. Andrew's Day), and we drank 
the " Queen of Scotland's " health. This was the open- 
ing of our new Curling Rink. It is close to the Skating 
Rink, and the tobogganing hill is on the other side ; so 
we have quite a nest of amusements there. 

Wednesday, jd. — Alas for the thaw ! — our Rink was 
just right, and now all the ice, and all the skating, dis- 
appears ! It is in a terrible state — all over lumps and 
bubbles, with dead leaves frozen into it, which, as you 
know, burn holes in the ice. 

Saturday, 6th. — Being the twelve children's half -holi- 
day, Saturday has now become a weekly festival. We 
skated all the afternoon, and after tea had a great re- 
hearsal of the children's play. Mr. Dixon exhibited a 
magic lantern, too, which, though only partially success- 
ful, was received with shouts of delight. 

Monday, 8th. — Thermometer i8° below zero. The 
day looked dull, but we had a most delightful skate 
on the Ottawa — clear, smooth ice, and any amount of 
space. I found myself able to go more than a mile as 
fast as possible on the outside edge. The children en- 
joyed it immensely. 

Monday, i^th. — D. went into Ottawa, and came back 
in time for a short skate. In the evening we had some 
of the new Ministers to dinner. I am trying to become 
a Grit, but I can't quite manage it. It takes me as 
much time as the outside edge backwards. I sat be- 
tween Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Cartwrio:ht : I like them 



DEC. 1 8 73 CHRIS TMA S. 1 3 5 

both, and the latter is very talkative, and pleasant. Mr. 
Mackenzie is very straightforward and nice, and very 
Scotch, in accent and in looks. On the other side of 
him sat M. Letellier St. Juste, a French Canadian, and 
then came Mr. Vale, from Halifax, and the Haligonian 
Prime Minister, Mr. Almon. We also had the head of a 
large deaf-and-dumb institution at Belleville, who is very 
anxious for us and " family " to go down there to see a 
pantomime done by his pupils, and thinks a journey of 
six hours absolutely nothing for the purpose. 

Friday^ i^th. — We attended an amateur performance 
in aid of a charity. It was very good indeed. The 
first part consisted of " waxworks " done by the beauties 
of Ottawa. They certainly have a talent for tableaux^ 
for I never saw anything more perfectly still than they 
were — although they were " on view " for nearly half- 
an-hour at a time. Each one was wound up in turn, 
and went through its performance admirably. 

Tuesday^ 2jd. — I drove into Ottawa on a Christmas 
shopping expedition, skated in the afternoon, and dined 
at six, as we had to go and give prizes to Protestant 
schools in Ottawa. The room was very hot, but the 
" exercises " went off well, and 200 people had to be 
sent away for want of space. Children read and sang. 
D. received an address, and replied to it, and we did not 
give the prizes, as there was not time. 

Wednesday, 24th. — Gawen and Fred* arrived this 
morning, both looking very well. They found me busily 
arranging the Christmas-tree. Gawen began his skating, 
but at present he looks very tall and shaky on the ice. 

Thursday, 2^th. — The church was beautifully deco- 
rated for Christmas. 



* My brothers, Captain G. Rowan Hamilton, late 7th Dragoon 
Guards, and Captain F. Rowan Hamilton, A. D. C. 



136 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. ix 

Lunch and a little skating filled the afternoon, and 
at five the children's Christmas really began. There 
were ten of them under eleven for tea, and very pretty 
the table looked, with their little fair heads all round it. 

The tree came next, and was a great success : every 
one seemed to get what he wished for, and the books, 
toys, etc., will be thoroughly appreciated during the 
week's holiday. 

Saturday^ 2'/th. — This morning we attended a perform- 
ance at St. Joseph's College. The house was beautiful- 
ly illuminated outside, and we had songs and addresses, 
and a little French play acted by the students. It was a 
good night for sleighing, and the drive home was pleas- 
ant. 

Wednesday, jist. — We had our first skating party to- 
day, and I was able to perform the outside edge back- 
wards and forwards quite well enough for public display. 
About seventy people came, but there was not enough 
snow for tobogganing. After the outdoor amusements 
we danced in the ball-room, and I think all enjoyed 
themselves very much. 



/ CHAPTER X. 

OUR SECOND SEASON AT OTTAWA. 

Thursday^ January 7, 18^4. — D. had, unfortunately, 
a bad cold and headache, and so I was obliged to re- 
ceive the gentlemen of Ottawa by myself. You remem- 
ber that they pay visits to all their acquaintances on 
New Year's Day, and that every lady in the land remains 
at home to receive them. Two hundred and seventy 
came to see me, greeted me,- and passed through the 
drawing-room into the dining-room for tea or champagne 
— mostly champagne ! One very odd man appeared 
whom I had never seen before. He said to me, " Ah, 
very sorry indeed to hear that Lord Dufferin is ill ; he is 
such a great fellow, it really would be a pity if anything 
were to happen to him. . . . Do I speak to Mr. Hamil- 
ton ?" Fred got him off into the dining-room, where he 
continued, " I knew Mr. Conway " (our other A. D. C, 
whose name was Coulson) " so well that I felt I knew the 
crowd, so I thought I would come to-day. Sorry His Ex. is 
ill ; he is such a good fellow, always turning up every- 
where. Awful bore this sort of thing, but one is obliged 
to do it." 

I have been busy the last few weeks teaching the chil- 
dren to act a little play, to be performed before an au- 
dience this New Year's Day, so, directly the last of rny 
visitors had gone, I rushed to make final arrangements 
on the stage, to visit my patient and get him up, to dress 
myself, and to dress the fairies. 



138 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. x 

Every member of our two families* between the ages 
of twelve years and eight months appears either in the 
play or in the tableaux which come after it, and I only 
wish you were here to see how well they all do it, and 
how pretty they look ! 

In the piece they represent imps who, clad in the 
gayest attire, are invisible to the mortal eye the moment 
they put on certain bright-colored caps, and visible 
again directly they take them off. The fun of the play 
consists in the way in which they are supposed to ap- 
pear and disappear, plaguing the life out of a gigantic 
mortal, who either can not see his tormentors at all, 
or whose frantic attempts to catch them when he does, 
only lead him into the traps they have prepared for 
him. 

My little troop entered fully into the spirit of the 
plot, and were so delighted with Fred's acting in the 
part of " Grumps," the troubled mortal, that they were 
really holding their sides with laughter, and there cer- 
tainly was more nature than art in their representations 
of the mischievous imps. 

The tableaux were equally successful, and though an 
eye was occasionally opened during the " Sleeping Beauty 
n the Wood " scene, and then conscientiously shut up 
again with unnecessary firmness — though one infant 
preferred to sleep with his legs in the air, and another 
made an uncalled-for announcement in the middle of 
a tableau vivant — the whole performance was most 
charming and successful, and actors, parents, and audi- 
ence were all equally delighted. 

Saturday^ jd. — The cold has diminished, and now 
there are only ten degrees of frost — which is nothing. 
One really does not feel cold half as much here as in 

* Ours and Colonel Fletcher's. 



JAN. i874 THE INSTITUTIONS OF OTTAWA. 139 

England. The house is warm throughout, day and 
night, so that one does not shiver over one's dressing, 
or dread venturing out into the passages, or crowd 
round the fires in the rooms, as one does at home. 
And then, when one wishes to go out, one knows— 
thanks to tradition and to the thermometer— exactly 
what ought to be put on, and one wraps one's self up like 
a mummy, and drapes one's face in an indispensable and 
most becoming '^ cloud," and thus defies the weather. 
We had a delightful skating party. The ice was lovely, 
and while numbers of graceful performers danced over 
it, other young men and maidens, to say nothing of 
fathers and mothers, were sliding down hills in tobog- 
gans, children were digging and burrowing in the snow, 
and nurses and perambulators added a homely aspect 
to the scene. You can't think how lively it looked— 
like an ant-hill decked in brilliant colors. 

When it got too late for outdoor amusements, we 
came in for tea, and the young people danced for an 

hour. 

Monday, 5//?.- The thermometer only 53° ! The most 
unheard-of thaw, and the snow almost entirely gone. 
We were, however, able to skate about two miles up 
the Rideau— a very rare chance here. In the afternoon 
I actually drove on wheels into Ottawa, to begin a tour 
of inspection of the Institutions there with Miss Lees. 
We went first to the Jail, which we found comfortable 
and well kept; Miss Lees thought it the best she had 
seen in Canada. We next went on to the Protestant 
Orphan Home, a small house, with a stuffy sleeping and 
living room for the babies. A better house is much 
needed. 

Tuesday, 6th. — We drove in a snowstorm to the Grey 
Nuns' Convent, and were received at the "Mother 
House " — the order having about ten establishments in 



140 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. x 

Ottawa, of which this is the head. I visited the " Com- 
munity," and the "Postulants," and went into the 
chapel, where the nuns were singing beautifully. From 
this house we walked to the Hospital, and after it to the 
Orphanage, and the Refuge for the Old. All these Miss 
Lees examined as well as she could. But she likes to 
turn up every sheet, and to peep into every corner, and 
this is a kind of inspection to which the good nuns are 
not accustomed. They like my perfunctory style much 
better, and I am amused when I go about with her to 
see her slipping behind the scenes at most unexpected 
moments, and surprising everybody by her searching 
questions. 

Wednesday^ "/th. — We finished the " Grey Nuns " to- 
day by visiting their school and an English Orphanage. 
Miss Lees is going to write a book about these things, 
so I need not record details. 

Last night we kept Twelfth Night by practicing the 
" Boston Dip " and Badminton. 

Thursday^ 8th. — The weather is despairing. It will 
thaw, and even condescends to rain, which in a Canadian 
January is mean ! Think of the ground being visible! 
and no skating ! and umbrellas up ! and driving on 
wheels ! 

There was, however, a sight to-day which I am glad 
to have seen. After the rain it froze hard for a short 
time, leaving ropes of beautiful clear ice hanging from 
the telegraph-wires, while the trees seemed to be the 
decorations of a fairy play. Words really do fail to de- 
scribe the beauty of our woods while this " ice-storm " 
continues. There is a transparent sheath round every 
twig, the birch-tree being particularly pretty, with its 
small and well-known rods all cased in clearest crystal, 
while in the distance the trees seem to be made of silver 
with dazzling jewels on every branch. It reminds me of 



JAN. 1874 CONCERT. 141 

the story of the twelve princesses who used to disappear 
at night, and were, after much searching, discovered by 
the owner of an invisible cloak to frequent a garden 
whose trees were covered with precious stones. Like 
the invisible soldier, I can not resist breaking oif 
branches and taking them home ; but, unlike his, my 
diamonds melt. 

Saturday^ loth. — The skating party, which had been 
postponed on account of the thaw, took place to-day, but 
resolved itself into an indoor party. The young ladies 
came in extra smart attire, feeling that they had not got 
to encounter the snow, and from 3.30 to 6 they danced. 
Some of them, I regret to say, evidently rejoiced in 
the bad weather ! After the dancing the children per- 
formed their little play and tableaux again with great 
success. 

Saturday^ lyth. — This was a most lovely day for our 
skating party, so warm (about 10° below freezing-point), 
the tobogganing hill in perfect condition, and the ice 
good. I skated the whole time, only stopping occasion- 
ally to watch the toboggans come down : once Fred was 
left behind in the middle of the hill, and rolled to the 
bottom ; another time, three passengers remained in the 
snow, while the fourth sailed on to the bottom of the 
slide. 

Tuesday, 2ytk. — Thermometer 30° below zero during 
the night — about zero during the day. We skated a lit- 
tle, but there was a good deal of snow on the ice. At 
five o'clock the children were all ready in their fairy 
dresses to act their play to about fifty of their contem- 
poraries. After the performance they had tea, and then 
games and dancing till eight. The guests were many of 
them very pretty, and all very well dressed. 

Wednesday, 28th. — We have lent our ball-room for a 
concert in aid of our little church, and the morning was 



142 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. x 

occupied in placing the three hundred chairs, and in pre- 
paring the stage. 

The first part of the programme consisted of vocal 
music by amateurs. Then " Rosa d'Erina " sang four 
songs capitally. Three very pretty tableaux closed the 
entertainment : The Death of Cleopatra ; the Expulsion 
of Hagar; and a group of flower-girls, Nelly being one 
of them. Cleopatra was very handsome, and was beau- 
tifully dressed. I think they will have cleared fifty 
pounds. 

Saturday, jz^/.— Saturday brings its usual skating 
party. The day was very cold, and we cut short the 
outdoor amusements, and had a very successful cotillon 
indoors. 

Mr. Mackenzie, the Prime Minister, arrived. At the 
station he received a note from D. asking him to come 
out to us, which he did immediately, and stayed for din- 
ner. On returning to Ottawa he found he had missed 
an ovation, which had been prepared for him after his 
very successful elections. I believe his majority will be 
about eighty. 

Montreal : Monday, February 2d. — We left for Mont- 
real, and had a long day in the train, but with books, 
and short naps, we got through it very well. 

Tuesday, 3d. — Soon after breakfast, we went up to 
the Rink, the two Misses Bethune and ourselves being 
the only privileged persons, as it is shut to the public on 
account of the fancy-dress ball which is to take place 
there to-night ; we had plenty of room, splendid ice, and 
a most delightful skate. 

At eight o'clock we went back there for the ball, and 
took our places on a raised dais at one end of a great 
building like Westminster Hall, with an architectural 
roof and ornamented rafters, its shiny ice floor illumi- 
nated by a thousand lights. As soon as the band 



FEB. 1874 MONTREAL. I43 

changed from " God save the Queen " into some lively 
strain, we saw, from the far end, gay fancy-dressed 
figures gliding hand-in-hand down the ice, and passing 
us in couples, till at last the whole space was covered 
with Dolly Vardens, Nights, Knights, Queens, Savages, 
Red-Riding-Hoods, etc. D. skated in plain clothes; I 
only looked on and enjoyed the scene. 

Wednesday^ 4th. — D. visited the High School, and 
made a Latin oration there. 

Tuesday, loth. — We had a band at the Rink this 
morning, and skated to music. We danced the lancers 
and Sir Roger to their proper tunes, and then some 
waltzed and some " outside-edged " to the " Blue Dan- 
ube." 

I must tell you the names of some of our figures, 
though I fear they won't convey much to you. We exe- 
cute the '' Rose," the " Shamrock," and the " Thistle" ; 
the " Ransom," the " Lily," the " Snail," the " Serpent," 
a chain of " eights," etc., etc. I wonder if ever you will 
see a performance ? 

Wednesday, nth. — We took the Jail by surprise this 
morning, and inspected it. The women's department is 
most unsatisfactory, but as a new female prison is being 
built, little can be said. We found five women sleeping 
in a tiny cell, and three in a bed ; and we saw prisoners 
with curl-papers and ornamental ribbons, and one with 
her hair much dressed, and with curls gummed down 
upon her forehead. The men were much better cared 
for. 

After dinner Fred Ward, Mr. Thompson, D. and I 
went to see the games at the Rink, which looked very 
pretty, with its shining ice floor, its lights, and a quan- 
tity of flags. There were 211 entries for the races, and 
some of them were most exciting and amusing. The 
barrel-races went off with great spirit, and the boys, in 



144 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. x 

all stages of creeping through bottomless barrels, roll- 
ing and struggling about, looked like strange shell-fish. 
Mercifully, none were hurt, for it must be a dangerous 
game. I gave away the prizes afterwards. 

I have been elected a member of the Rink, and am 
the only lady who holds that proud position, being also, 
I believe, the first wife of a Governor-General who has 
ever skated here. 

Thursday^ 12th. — D. and I left early, and were " seen 
off " by a guard of honor composed of the students at 
Magill College — a fine-looking rifle regiment. We had 
Mr. Bridges' car, and traveled in great comfort. We 
found it very cold at Ottawa. All the children in differ- 
ent stages of cold. 

Ottawa : Tuesday^ lyth. — There was a very exciting 
game in the Curling Rink between D. and Mr. Gordon, 
a Presbyterian minister. They play for the Club prize, 
and whoever wins to-day has to play another member, 
and so on, till the last man remaining gains " the horns." 
This game was very close, " twelve all," and the next 
shot must decide the winner. We all came in to watch 
the last strokes, and D. got " two," and so won, and has 
a new antagonist to encounter. 

Thursday, igth. — We had a great expedition to-day. 
Our party filled two sleighs, and we started at eight 
o'clock in the morning, and drove three miles along, or 
rather on, the Gatineau river, and then eighteen miles 
through the " bush," enjoying the winter scenery. It was 
a prettier drive than I had expected, being more open, 
less shut up in wood, and the horizon more varied than it 
usually is here. We saw the Gatineau rapids, rushing 
along black-looking through the snow ; also something 
of the lumber-trade, for we met all the little sleighs full 
of wood coming to market. As they were loaded, we 
had to make way for them, and on two occasions we 



FEB. 1874 A WINTER'S DRIVE. I45 

met in most awkward places, when we all had to get out, 
and lift our sleigh sideways on to the bank, and once we 
had to take out the horses. Another time we were at 
the top of a hill, and our foe wanted us_ to back down it. 
We asked if he could not back, but he exclaimed indig- 
nantly, " Why, there are enough of you there to lift 
that cutter of yours right over the mountain " — this of 
the great family sleigh ! 

W^e arrived at last at the house of a farmer, the 
owner of a cave, which cave was the end and object of 
our expedition. Here we lunched, and then, guided by 
the farmer, we proceeded on our way two miles along a 
lumber snow road, very narrow and bumpy. We left the 
carriages on a lake, and climbed up a hill to the mouth 
of the cave, where we took off our fur cloaks, and, each 
taking a lighted candle, entered the cave. 

After examining a part of it, which I may call the 
hall and ante-room of this subterranean mansion, we 
proceeded on hands and knees through a very low pas- 
sage to the drawing-room. We ladies had great diffi- 
culty with our petticoats, especially when in this dou- 
bled-up position we had to cross a pool of water on a 
narrow plank, and were greatly relieved when we were 
able to stretch ourselves upright again. New perils were, 
however, before us, and the gentlemen were astonished 
to find that Lady Harriet and I really did intend to de- 
scend the ladders which, in the darkness, appeared to 
lead down to the middle of the earth. But, as we very 
naturally observed to them, we had not driven twenty 
miles, and crawled on hands and knees to the spot, to 
be deterred by a small difficulty ; so down we went, and 
saw two more large rooms in the basement of said man- 
sion. Of course the place requires a geologist's eye to 
appreciate it thoroughly. It is made of — no ; I won't 
even attempt to describe its origin. 
n 



•146 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. x 

We came out from our crawling very dirty indeed, 
and, returning to our carriages, drove homeward. Our 
sleigh was first, and we had just descended a very steep 
hill when we heard a noise, and looking back saw the 
second sleigh stranded in the middle of the road, its 
horses galloping madly towards us. Our footman rushed 
in front of them, and caught hold of their bridles just 
as they were upon us; he was knocked down between 
them, but was not hurt. The gentlemen all got into 
the broken sleigh, and finally arrived safe home, though 
they were run away with at every hill on the way 
back. 

It snowed most of the day, and at the end of our 
drive we looked ideal Canadians. 

Mo7iday^ 2jd. — There was a very exciting curling 
match to-day between D. and Hutchison for " the 
horns." 

D. won by six points, and will now have to encounter 
another player. The boys made some calculations 
afterwards, in which they proved that each player had 
run eight miles, had thrown four-and-a-half tons forty 
yards, and had swept out the Parliament Buildings — 
pretty severe labor for one game ! 

Tuesday, 24th. — The " Fred's " — for we have no less 
than five of that name in our household — played a 
match, the winner to be the " representative member " 
of the new " Viceregal CurHng Club." Brother Fred 
won it. 

He and Colonel Fletcher dined with the Ministers, 
" in honor " of the Dominion Board of Trade, and Fred 
returned thanks for the ladies. 

Saturday, 28th. — Colonel Strange, from Quebec, and 
Mr. Plumb, M. P. for Niagara, dined with us, and we 
had an " electric evening." I don't suppose you could 
have one at home ; but here by rubbing our feet on the 



MARCH 1874 ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTS. 



MT 



carpet, and then touching another person, we can pro- 
duce a spark, and from any hot metal, such as the fire- 
place, we get quite a shock. 

Mr. Plumb showed us a very curious thing. We 
went into a dark room, and rubbed the inside of the back 
of a book with a fur glove, and instantly the gilt pattern 
on the outside was illuminated by sparks, so that the 
whole design was as clearly marked out as it is in the 
daytime. He discovered this accidentally by passing a 
piece of fur round his hat, when the maker's name ap- 
peared inside in letters of light. Then we tried to light 
the gas, and I had the satisfaction of succeeding three 
times myself. I held a piece of wire, or a needle, in my 
hand, rubbed my feet on the carpet, and touched the 
burner ; a spark was emitted, and the gas instantly 
blazed up. The children are extremely fond of charg- 
ing at some unsuspecting victim with a finger or a nose, 
which instantly emits a perfect flash of lightning. One 
day I brought the baby down to the drawing-room, and 
Fred (who had just been rubbing his feet preparatory to 
trying an electric experiment) kissed her and gave her 
such a shock that she cried with fright. 

Wednesday, March 4th. — The ice still demoralized, 
and every one grumbling. Both grown-up people and 
children find "• walking on the boards " a sad exchange 
for skating, tobogganing, and curling. 

Friday, 6th. — The Ottawa Curling Club came and 
played on our Rink for His Excellency's medal. They 
made a good score, and have hopes of winning it. Mr. 
Gilmour and Mr. Mackenzie spent the afternoon here 
and curled with D. The Premier brightened up very 
much during the " roarin' game." 

Saturday, yth. — It poured, and the beginning of the 
afternoon party was trying. Skating was out of the 
question, and a few ladies dropped in alone ; I was in 



I .g MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. X 

despair, but at last the tv/o necessaries — men and music 
arrived, and we had a very nice little dance and cotil- 
lon. Hermie and Basil contribute greatly to the amuse- 
ment of the company. She and Basil talk to every one, 
and are always in such high spirits, that the lookers-on 
like having them to play with. 

Nowell (D.'s valet) won the cup, and I presented it 
to him ; it is to have his name, and " Presented to the 
Viceregal Curling Club," etc., engraved on it. 

Tuesday, loth. — There was tremendous excitement in 
the Curling Rink to-day — D. playmg another opponent, 
Mr. Russell, for " the horns." The game was very in- 
teresting. They had to make twenty-one points, and 
five times during the course of the game they were ties, 
D. winning finally by one — a very honorable and unex- 
pected victory, as Mr. Russell is the " skip " of the Ot- 
tawa Club. 

Tuesday, 24th. — There was beautiful tobogganing to- 
day. The children went down in every sort of way, 
double and single, standing, sitting, and lying. Once 
they tied four toboggans together, which looked like a 
raft covered with people — a rescue from shipwreck. 

Friday, 2yth. — A day of much ceremony. Diamonds, 
lappets, and feathers at two o'clock, when all drove to 
the Parliament Buildings, the Governor-General in car- 
riage-and-four, and I in a quiet brougham, to a private 
entrance. I went into the Senate Chamber, which I 
found full of gay ladies, and soon we heard the guns 
which announced His Excellency's arrival. We all stood 
up to receive him, as he came in preceded by his Staff. 
He sent for the Commons, and the new Speaker made a 
little speech, and the President of the Senate replied to 
it. Then D. read the speech, first in English, then in 
French, and we departed as we came. 

On my return I doffed my finery until after dinner, 



APRIL i874 ENGLISH VISITORS. j^g 

when I dressed up again, and we returned to the Senate 
Chamber to hold a Drawing-room ; it went off very well, 
and was quite a brilliant affair. 

Saturday^ 28th. — We turned out of the drawing- 
room to-day, to have it arranged as a second supper- 
room. 

The conservatory was hung with Chinese lanterns, 
and everything that was possible done to embellish the 
rooms for an evening-party. 

There was a band, tableaux, and some singing in the 
drawing-room, supper in two rooms, and I believe people 
enjoyed themselves. 

Sunday, 2gth. — We had such a nice walk on the Ot- 
tawa. The banks were lovely, clothed in icicles, and ice- 
grottoes, into which we got, had been formed in places. 
They were supported by enormous pillars of ice, and a 
fringe of large icicles shut us in. 

Tuesday, 31st. — I went into the House, expecting to 
see Riel take his seat. There was great excitement out- 
side, but he did not appear. We heard a very amusing 
debate about abolishing the sale of spirits within the 
precincts of Parliament. We were very busy at home 
preparing everything for a full-dress rehearsal of a 
selection from the opera of " Semiramide " and the little 
play of " One Hour," in which I myself take part. The 
rehearsal was successful, the servants making up an 
audience. 

Thursday, 2d April. — Mr. Charles Kingsley * and his 
daughter are staying with us, and we took them over the 
Houses of Parliament, and had Sir John and Lady Mac- 
donald one day, and Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie another, 
to meet them at dinner. 



* The late Rev. Charles Kingsley, author of Westward Ho J 
Hypatia, etc. 



150 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. x 

Saturday^ 4th. — We looked on at curling to-day, and 
saw D. beat the "champion," Mr. Gilmour, twice. Dr. 
Grant dined with us, and he and Mr. Kingsley were very 
happy over geological subjects. 

Easter Smiday, ^th. — There was a great congregation, 
and we had an excellent sermon from Mr. Kingsley, 
appropriate to the day. He does not stammer at all in 
preaching. The gentlemen say that in the smoking-room 
he is most amusing ; but he seems shy, and is therefore 
less brilliant, in general society. 

Tuesday^ yth. — D. walked into Ottawa, and in the 
street met Mr. Laurence Oliphant,* whom he asked to 
come to us at once, and to bring his wife. He is very 
pleasant, and she is a sweet, pretty little woman, very 
chatty. They belong to a curious sect, headed by a 
Mr. Harris. They have no objection to talking about 
it to us, but she tells me that in the community 
they never speak of religion, that they have no church, 
no services, and that every member believes, or, rath- 
er, disbelieves, what he likes. They look upon Mr. 
Harris as a " moral doctor," and all their efforts in a 
"good" direction are employed in conquering their 
own faults by their own efforts — and Mr. Harris's pre- 
scriptions; they also believe that their prophet actual-, 
ly suffers physical pain when his followers offend, and 
that they know when they do wrong themselves by 
a peculiar sensation in the throat. They consider 
themselves bound to spend all they have; not merely 
to give to charitable institutions, but to distribute 
it personally. They live in a district where they have 
farms, and the members all help each other as they 
can. 



* The late Laurence Oliphant, author of The Piccadilly Papers, 
etc. 



MAY 1874 AM A TE UR THE A TRICALS. \ 5 j 

Friday^ loth. — D. curled, and nearly killed Mr. Oli- 
phant with the exertion. I like both her and him very- 
much ; and certainly their faith in what they do believe, 
and their conscientious performance of the same, are 
wonderful. 

Friday, lyth. — The great ball given by the citizens of 
Ottawa in our honor took place to-night. The dancing 
was in the Senate Chamber — a very handsome room — 
and a new floor was put down for the occasion. I sup- 
pose two thousand people were present, but there were 
so many passages and promenades that the dancing was 
not too crowded. We much appreciated our hosts' kind- 
ness and hospitality. 

Monday, 2yth. — We were pleased to see in the morning 
paper that there are $900 (nearly ;^2oo) over, after all 
the ball expenses have been paid, which are to be given 
to charities. 

Wednesday, 2pth. — In the evening our play came off, 
and was a great success. People seem to listen with eyes 
and ears, and to be quite delighted. The whole com- 
pany was good, and every one knew his or her part, and 
it went smoothly and with spirit. 

After it was over I changed my dress in about three 
minutes, and came down to supper. Stray couples walked 
about the corridors, visited the conservatory, and had 
what is called "a lovely time." 

When I had shaken hands with the " six hundred," 
and we were alone again, we had our supper, of which' 
we were all very glad, for acting makes one so hungry ! 

Saturday, May 2d. — D. and Fred went out hunting, 
and had a very pleasant run. 

The children tried a paper-chase. Colonel Fletcher 
was the fox, and the run was most exciting, the " hounds " 
shrieking all the way, and having some delightfully stiff 
timber to climb. 



1^2 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. x 

A Parliamentary dinner ; five expected guests failed 
to come, and left a great gap at the table. 

Thursday, 14th. — The Lieutenant-Governor of Nova 
Scotia and Miss Archibald arrived to spend a few days 
with us. 

Lady Harriet is expecting her sister and uncle — a 
great excitement in our small world; for, though our 
guests are numerous, our home-circle is small. We have 
very pleasant weather, and sit out a great deal, enjoying 
it ; but as yet there are no leaves on the trees, and no 
plants bedded out. 

Friday, 22d. — We had such a pleasant day, driving in 
two carriages to visit Mr. Gilmour's place on the Gati- 
neau River, and to see his sawmills, etc. Lady Mary 
and Mr. Marsham, who arrived on Friday, went with us. 
The weather was fine, and the river very full ; the rapids 
were magnificent, and it was very interesting to see the 
lumber go down them. 

We watched the trunks of great trees turning and 
twisting in the whirlpools, passing from one current to 
another, dashing down waterfalls, disappearing in the 
waves, and coming up again on the brink of other rapids. 
We saw them reach a place where a number of men, with 
poles and spikes, stood by to harpoon and mark the 
passing monsters, sending those stamped with a " G " in 
one direction, and those with a " P " in another. After 
this, a further rush down the river brought the logs to a 
calm pool, where they were just recovering from their 
exciting voyage, when they were laid hold of by an in- 
nocent-looking cogwheel, up which they marched slowly 
and surely into the teeth of fourteen thickset saws, which 
sent them in pieces on a further sail, down a small 
trough of water, to the stack-yard. In addition to the 
almost human interest of this tragic performance, we 
had lovely scenery to look at, a good lunch to eat, a nice 



MAY i874 THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY, 153 

drive, and a row home in boats ; so we enjoyed ourselves 
much. 

Monday^ 2^th. — The Queen's birthday kept. The 
morning looked bad, but we dressed ourselves up, and 
at eleven arrived in front of the Town Hall, where the 
firemen and engines were to be reviewed. We looked at 
and walked round them — the rain coming down a little — 
hstened to an address, and then proceeded to the review- 
ground. 

The Governor-General's Foot Guards looked ex- 
tremely well ; but the weather was dreadful, and when I 
came to give away the colors it poured in torrents, so 
that the feathers in my bonnet stood on end, and I had 
to take off my veil and throw it away. You may im- 
agine my mother's feelings when I turned round in the 
middle of the deluge and found that Archie was out in 
dancing-shoes ! We had lunch in a large tent, and D. 
made a speech, which you may read in the newspaper I 
send you. 

Wednesday^ 2'jth. — We made an expedition down the 
Slide to-day. D. paddled his canoe to the foot of the 
Chaudiere Falls. Colonel Fletcher rowed there, and we 
took two carriage-loads, with five children — all in a 
great state of excitement. We found a magnificent 
" crib " prepared for us — flags and green arches over it ; 
and when we were all assembled, we started at a slow 
and stately pace on our journey over the Slide down to 
the Ottawa. It takes three waterfalls to reach the level 
of the river, and going over these is the greatest fun. 
We remained on our crib for some time, and then got on 
to a raft for tea, which we drank out of tins, without 
milk or sugar ; and we ate raft-made bread, which was 
excellent. 

Friday^ 2pth. — We went up the Rideau in a carriage 
for about eight miles, and saw the Falls, which are very 



154 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. x 

pretty. Had tea there, and came back in canoes, D. 
rowing me. There was a beautiful sunset, and the river 
was lovely — the scenery much more English-like and 
meadowy than it usually is here. There were some rap- 
ids to run, and we ladies got out, while the Colonel and 
D. took their canoes down. It was quite dark when we 
got home. 

Saturday, joth. — As it v/as a lovely day, and as the 
mosquitoes are, so far, very harmless, had tea out of 
doors. We carried the things down to the rocks, and 
the children were extremely happy attending to the 
fire, and jumping about at the edge of the water. The 
two families were present — ten old enough for pic- 
nics. 

Tuesday, /tme 2d. — We drove about twelve miles into 
the country to the borders of " Meech's Lake," a pretty 
piece of water inhabited by swarms of mosquitoes. We 
drank our tea in a cloud of smoke, to keep off the tor- 
mentors, and then got into our canoes (which had been 
brought here in a cart) and explored the Lake. " We " 
means the Fletchers, Lady Mary Marsham, D., and my- 
self. 

Our expedition did not end quite pleasantly. It had 
been arranged that we were to get into a boat half-way 
and row home. The night was very dark, and the cur- 
rent tremendous. Presently we came up against a beam 
of wood stretched across the rushing river, which we 
knew had an opening in it through which boats could 
pass; but in the dark we could not find the place. The 
Colonel, who was rowing with D., said the ladies would 
have to get out, and that the boat must be lifted over 
the bar. Oh, it was disagreeable ! We knelt on the nar- 
row plank, with the rapid stream swirling under it, and 
I don't think I could have done it but for a fortunate 
peg in my bit of plank by which I held on, and which 



JUNE 1874 EXCURSIONS. I c c 

gave me a certain sense of security. Lady Mary was so 
brave : she made no fuss at all. When the boat had been 
dragged over the beam we got into it again ; but we had 
several more alarms about steamers, rafts, etc., and I 
was thankful when we got safe home without collisions 
or further accident. 



CHAPTER XL 

FISHING ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

Quebec : Saturday, June 6th. — We left Ottawa yester- 
day — Archie, D., and I ; Nelly was up to see us off, and 
looked a little melancholy at being left behind. We 
went by train to Prescott, and had two hours to wait 
for the boat, which had been detained by fog. We 
feared this delay would disarrange our plans, and make 
us late for the night-boat from Montreal ; but as it 
waited for us, we made our journey successfully, and 
arrived this morning at delightful Quebec, where as 
usual we met with the most friendly welcome. People 
always seem so glad to see us here, and all the way up 
the town faces were smiling at the windows, and hats 
were off everywhere ; it is just like coming home ! In 
the afternoon Archie played in a foot-ball match—" The 
Clandeboye" against "The Rovers"; I need not say 
who won. 

D. and I had a walk in the town, and then I un- 
packed the English box, which has just arrived, and 
which astonished me with the new fashions it contained. 
I can not yet decide whether to put on the bonnets for- 
wards, backwards, or sideways. 

Wednesday^ loth. — We went on board the Druid^ and 
left Quebec. The day was lovely, and as we went down 
the St. Lawrence the coloring was beautiful everywhere. 
We passed numbers of sailing-vessels. 

Friday, 12th. — Found ourselves in sight of Gaspe 



June 1 8 74 THE YORK RIVER. 1 57 

this morning. Not a ripple on the water, and the place 
looking lovely. Mr. Eden, the vivacious harbor-master, 
came on board, presented me with a large Indian box 
which had been made for me, told us all about the 
salmon, etc, 

D. went into the bush to see about our jfishing- 
box. We have brought with us the pieces of a little 
bedroom and dressing-room, which are to be put to- 
gether on the site, which D. walked eighteen miles to 
select. 

The night was very bad — rain, snow, and hail. We 
are glad to be in harbor. 

Sunday, 14th. — Rather a fine-looking morning, but 
cold. We went to church and had a good sermon — 
short and plain. In the afternoon we landed on the 
York side of the harbor, and drove along a good road. 

We met a friend on the way, a farmer, originally 
from Cavan, who has cleared, and now lives upon, thirty 
acres of his own land. He and his wife have added 
fifteen to the population of Gaspe. He asked us up to 
his house, which was very comfortable : a large sitting- 
room, with three concertinas, books, etc., in it ; a dining- 
room, kitchen, and nice bedroom on the ground floor, 
and everything very neat and clean. The view from his 
door — lovely. 

Monday, i^th. — Our two rooms were taken off in the 
middle of the night to their destination on the St. John 
River, and D., Archie, and I soon went after them. We 
made the first part of the journey in a " wagon," then 
got on horses, and rode at a jog-walk for three hours, 
when we reached our fishing-box. We gave all neces- 
sary directions there, and then mounted again to cross to 
the York River. When we reached Mr. Reynolds's camp, 
which is situated on this rushing river, I got Archie 
some food, and then the poor little man had to start 



158 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xi 

back again, and only reached home at ten at night. He 
was very proud of his long day, which prevented his 
acknowledging any fatigue. 

Our host is so pleasant and kind, and we had a very 
agreeable dinner ; Colonel McNeill * and Mr. Monck are 
also here. Afterwards we sat around a fire outside, and 
then came in to write up the game-book. 

Tuesday^ i6th. — It rained early in the morning, but 
was sunny, though cold, during the day. I fished for a 
short time, and caught, or, rather, hooked, a " kelt " — an 
uneatable salmon, which has been in the river all the 
winter. D. caught one salmon of 14 lbs., Colonel McNeill 
two, and Mr. Monck two ; but it was considered a very 
bad day's sport. 

This is a beautiful river : numbers of pools, a very 
rapid current, very clear water. The woods have a great 
deal of birch in them, and the look-out is much more 
open than on most of the rivers. 

On our return we had dinner, camp-fire, etc., as be- 
fore. I have such a comfortable room, with carpet and 
curtains. 

Wedfiesday, lyth. — D. fished vigorously all this very 
wet day with no result. The only fortunate person was 
Mr. Monck, who brought home two salmon, 26 and 27 
lbs. The others caught kelt, and were very angry over 
those " unclean " fish. 

ThiLvsday, i8th. — We telegraphed last week to Fred 
and Dr. Campbell not to come, as there seems no chance 
of the fishing on the St. John beginning yet ; but to-day 
we hear that they have arrived. Colonel McNeill and 
Mr. Monck have most kindly gone up the river to a 
distant house in order to leave room for them here, as 

* Major-General Sir John McNeill, V. C, K. C. B., Equerry to 
H. M. the Queen. 



JUNEI874 FISHING AT YORK RIVER. 159 

Mr. Reynolds insists upon having them. The day is ter- 
ribly wet. 

Saturday^ 20th. — Fred and Dr. Campbell arrived here 
very early, having left the Druid at 5 a. m. 

We had a very beautiful day as to weather, but the 
river had risen so much that there was no fishing. D. 
and I took a walk, and Fred upset a canoe, and sent him- 
self and two men into the water. 

Mr. Monck came down from his house with two salm- 
on, one twenty-nine and the other twenty-two pounds. 

Sunday, 21st. — At last we have a fine day, though it 
can not be considered a "midsummer's day." We took 
a walk, and sat round a " smudge " — that is, a fire of 
damp wood, which smokes and keeps the black-flies and 
mosquitoes off. 

Monday, 22d. — Nice weather, but the salmon not ris- 
ing. The river is much too high, and the current too 
rapid. I went down to the pool where D. was fishing in 
the canoe, and walked back by myself ; but I am advised 
not to do so again, lest I should meet a bear. 

Tuesday, 2jd. — Here are the statistics of our fishing 
so far at York River : 

Mr. Reynolds, five fish, weighing 23, 21, 7,:^, 28, 
12. lbs. 

Colonel McNeill, twelve, weighing 24, 22, 11, 18, 24, 
25> 27, 25, 24, 20, 26, 14 lbs. 

Mr. Monck, seven, weighing 25, 11, 26, 27, 27, 23, 
15 lbs. 

Lord D., three : 14, 13, 10 lbs. 

Fred, two : 22, 14 lbs. 

So far we have not been fortunate. Last year Mr. 
Reynolds caught ten fish himself the first day he went 
out. Their respective weights were: 47, 37, 30, 12, 19, 
20, 18, 30, 30, 10, the average being 25 lbs. This is 
marvelous in the way of fishing, and I record it as an 



l6o ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xi 

interesting fact, though I don't suppose you will appre- 
ciate it. 

Thursday^ 2^th. — Archie arrived to-day, and Mr. Rey- 
nolds left. D. had at last a good day's fishing, and came 
home with six salmon : 26, 25, 14, 13, 12, 10 lbs. Dr. 
Campbell caught one, 23 lbs., and Fred nothing. The 
day was extremely cold, and we were surprised that the 
fish rose at all. 

Our mail arrived, and in the middle of his salmon- 
catching D. sent off dispatches. 

Friday^ 26th. — Fred was given the best pool to-day, 
and D. went up to the " Little Salmon Hole " and the 
" Flat Rock " pool. I walked there with him, a distance 
of about three miles through the woods, and Archie 
went up the rapids in a canoe. He and I then looked 
on at the sport, he amusing himself between times by 
cutting down trees with a hatchet and by feeding a fire 
with wood. 

D.'s first fish was a very lively little one, which 
jumped and frisked about, and finally took him right 
down the rapids. It was 12 lbs. The second sulked, 
and merely kept a good steady pull on the line, keeping 
it up for an hour, and only making for the rapids at the 
last moment. It weighed 23 lbs. 

Our lunch, which the men provided, consisted of lum- 
berman's fare : bread fried in pork fat, and tea. We 
all came down in a canoe, the stream bringing us at a 
great pace. 

We found that Dr. Campbell had not even seen a 
fish. Fred caught two, and having just finished a strug- 
gle with a twenty-six-pounder, he came home to dinner 
in very good spirits. This fish was already gaffed and 
in the boat, when it jumped out again, broke the top of 
his rod, and had to be played for another five minutes; 
so that it was a miracle he saved it. 



June 1874 OUR CAMP. 161 

Saturday^ 2'jth. — We leave to-day to go to the St. 
John, so we had all our packing to do. Besides our 
clothes, there were two tents to be put up, and a sledge 
to be transported over the river, for carrying our goods 
through the bush. D. and Fred started to walk, and a 
few minutes after they left we saw a raft coming down 
the stream, with a little dog upon it, and a green tree 
floating over his head. Then a canoe came in sight, 
with Colonel McNeill and Mr. Monck in it, and we found 
that the raft contained the salmon they had caught, 
which they sent off with the dog as its only live passen- 
ger to astonish us. They brought home nineteen large 
salmon, the average being twenty-three pounds weight. 
Mr. Monck had caught eight one day, and five one 
evening. 

We were soon after this ready for our start. Archie, 
Dr. Campbell, and I rode — I with a jar of cream on my 
knee. Our road was very bad, trees lymg across it, and 
much mud and marsh to go through. 

D. met us just outside our camp, and we were all de- 
lighted with our new habitation when we reached it. 
The men had worked very hard, and had made cedar- 
bark paths and fir plantations round the houses. The 
"village," over which the Dominion flag floats, consists 
of two large tents for the men, and of a wooden house 
divided into two rooms. The wnndows have green mos- 
quito-blinds over them, and the bed, white mosquito-cur- 
tains. There is a washing-table, and lots of pegs and 
shelves, and a little bit of carpet, which is a great luxury 
in the woods. A ceaar path leads to the log-house, in 
which there is the sitting-room, and two little "cabins," 
in which our guests sleep. 

Opposite our door a bonfire burns, and when the 
flies are bad we have a row of smudges to smoke them 
aw^ay. 



1 62 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xi 

The kitchen is in another log-house on the other 
side, and from it we soon had an excellent dinner. 

Nowell (D.'s valet) has made all these arrangements, 
and, in spite of many bites from the untiring flies, he 
works away with great good-humor and skill. 




OUR HUT. 



Monday., 2pfh. — The first fishing on our own river. 
The fishers drew lots for the pools, and Archie and I 
went to see D.'s success. He only brought two home 
when we returned to dine at two o'clock. The others 
had not seen a fish, so D. and Dr. Campbell resolved to 



JuLYi874 DOMINION DAY. 1 63 

go down towards the mouth of the river, the fish being 
only now on their way up. There is a little house there, 
in which they intended to sleep to-night. Archie went 
to fish in a lake close by, and brought home fourteen 
trout. Some of these we ate for tea. 

Wednesday^ July 1st. — Another very bad day, but, as 
it was Dominion Day, we had several flags flying and a 
great bonfire in the camp. D. and Dr. Campbell re- 
turned. They seem to have enjoyed their trip in spite 
of the weather, and if it had been good they would have 
had splendid fishing : as it was, they had fished till two 
o'clock in the day, and the former caught three salmon 
—21, 13, II lbs.; and Dr. Campbell five — 21, 13, 11, 9, 9 
lbs. 

Thursday^ 2d. — D. was up at a nameless pool, and 
caught five salmon before two o'clock. He was coming 
home when he caught the last, so he determined to bring 
it down to the house. I was hungrily watching for the 
fishermen's return to dinner, when I saw the canoe arriv- 
ing with D. hanging on to a salmon. This was very ex- 
citing, and we saw the creature brought ashore without 
a gaff. 

D. wanted me to fish in the afternoon, so about five 
o'clock we went again to the nameless pool. I stood up 
in the canoe, a man at each end keeping it steady with 
poles, and began to throw my fly. The fish did not come, 
so we changed the bait, and tried " Jock Scot " and 
" King Coffee." This royal personage was large and 
gaudy, and had, alas ! a very big hook. " A rise ! " " He's 
on ! " Then I stand firm, and my friend jumps several 
times up in the air ; but I hold him well in hand, and 
suddenly he spits out my fly, and is gone ! Again we go 
up and down the pool with " King Coffee," and then we 
try the " Silver Doctor," and at seven o'clock another 
fish is on ! This one simply tugs ; he keeps a steady 



164 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xi 

pull on all the time, and I do the same by him, and take 
care to give him no rest, but wind him up every time he 
attempts to lie quiet; once he jumps, and they say he is 
a large one. This game goes on for some time, and 
then my friend thinks he will take me down the rapids. 
I am still standing in the canoe, but keeping firm by 
pressing my knees against the bar across it. We went 
down half a mile hand-in-hand like this, and I began to 
feel that it was a question which of us would be ex- 
hausted first. A salmon-rod with a fish at the end of it 
is no joke ! I began " to wish he were dead," and to say 
to myself that I never would go through such an anxiety 
again, for the fish is never safe till he is in the boat. 
At last we gaffed him, brought him safely to his death, 
weighed him, and found him twenty-six pounds — the 
largest caught here this year : so I am very proud of my 
success. The nameless pool is now the " Countess Pool." 

Saturday, 4th. — A wet morning again. We packed up, 
and went down in canoes towards the Druid, fishing on 
the way. The salmon would not rise, and we had only 
three to show at the end of a long day. We left our 
boats in the evening, and drove to Gaspe, where we got 
on board the Druid, after saying farewell to our fisher- 
men, etc. 

We meant to start at once, but there was a fog out- 
side, and we did not get off till four in the morning. 

Tuesday, yth. — A fog, — and the Druid at a standstill 
all yesterday, we not knowing where we were till three 
o'clock, when the mist rolled away suddenly. We anch- 
ored at night about fifteen miles from Tadousac, and 
came in there early this morning. The children were 
looking out for us, and Archie went ashore to fetch Nelly 
and Terence for breakfast, and to show off his steering. 

We landed after breakfast, and found Hermie and 
Basil with outstretched arms at the top of the stairs, wait- 



JULY i874 THE SAGUENAY, l6e 

ing to give us a warm welcome. Then we saw the baby : 
such a fat fairy, so pretty, with golden hair curling all 
over ; and large, dark gray eyes. Such a merry, happy 
little thing ; she stands at a chair, and crawls about 
everywhere. 

Friday^ loth. — After breakfast we got on board the 
Druid — the Fletchers, Lady Mary Marsham, ourselves, 
and Nelly — and started up the Saguenay. At two 
o'clock we stopped to fish for trout, but the wind rose, 
and we were not very successful. 

Then we proceeded on our journey, and saw a most 
lovely sunset, which turned the Saguenay hills into gor- 
geous masses of purple and blue with golden back- 
grounds. This arm of the sea is considered one of the 
great Canadian sights ; it is a rift in the rocks, and the 
water is very deep right up to the sides, but the hills are 
all the same height, which is somewhat monotonous. 
There are two enormous cliffs or capes, called " Trinity " 
and " Eternity," but it was very dark when we passed 
them, and we hope to see them better on our return. 

Saturday^ nth,- — We are anchored in Haha Bay, and 
D. and Colonel Fletcher started very early for a day's 
salmon-fishing in a small river near. We ladies fol- 
lowed later, and found that the fishers had had splendid 
sport. We were able to watch them, and we had some 
most exciting and terrible moments to go through ! D. 
hooked a salmon in a pool, and the creature seemed 
very strong and large, and after tugging more than half 
an hour he insisted upon going down the rapids. D. had 
on great wading-stockings and boots, and ran or stum- 
bled through the water over rough round stones. At 
the foot of one rapid he nearly got the fish in, but the 
gaffmen were inexperienced, and made a dash at it, 
which frightened the salmon and sent him off down 
a second rapid; then there was another long pause, 



1 66 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xi 

another attempt on the part of the gaffmen, the hook 
came out of his mouth, and he was gone ! However, we 
brought home seven salmon, and were all very happy, 
and very hungry for dinner at nine o'clock. 

Branches were being planted all along the road, in 
honor of the Roman Catholic Archbishop's visit. He 
comes here once in five years. D. was able to present 
each of the priests with whom he was to stay with a 
salmon, which was very acceptable. The Comet, and a 
splendid Aurora, appeared for us to look at after dinner. 
In the night we start again. 

Sunday, 12th. — We reached Chicoutimi this morning. 
We sent a note ashore inviting ourselves to breakfast 
with the Prices, and when we were dressed found Mr. 
Price waiting with his carriages to take us to the 
house. The Prices are a happy family of four girls and 
six sons, all unmarried, and all living together. We 
found their house charming. As you enter the gate 
you see through the trees the beautiful blue water, with 
large ships upon it ; and the tide, when high, comes 
right up to the edge of the parapet. It is a delightful 
summer residence. They always have a large party in 
the house, and have lovely rides and drives, and boating 
excursions for their guests. 

They gave us a good breakfast, which we ate rav- 
enously, enjoying all the country fare, and the wild 
strawberries and cream ! Afterwards we walked to a 
waterfall, and then returned to our steamer, and waited 
on board, while D. received an address. When we left 
we fired two guns as we passed the Prices' house, sa- 
luted with our flag, and exchanged pocket-handkerchief 
waves ! The weather is fine, and we are enjoying our 
sail immensely. 

Before we left Tadousac, an Indian came to D. and 
said that he wanted to go to the Marguerite, a little way 



JULY 1874 MURRA Y BA V. 1 67 

up the Saguenay, and asked if he might go with us ; D. 
told him to go on board the Druid with his canoe, and 
there we found him comfortably installed ; but we passed 
the Marguerite and many other " stations," and at each 
he refused to get out ; so it ended yesterday in our 
bringing him back again. We were much amused at the 
idea of his coming the trip with us, enjoying good fare, 
and returning home again. But when we came to ex- 
amine him, it turned out to have been a misunderstand- 
ing: he wished to offer his services to D. as a fisherman, 
thinking he was going to the Marguerite, and once on 
board he was obliged to continue the voyage. 

In the afternoon we passed under the cliffs " Trinity " 
and " Eternity," and went quite close to them. Trinity 
rises straight out of the water 1,500 feet high, a straight 
wall of rock. D. fired at the cliff, and we threw stones, 
without being able to hit it ; it looks so much nearer 
than it is in reality. 

We reached Tadousac at nine, and Archie was on the 
sands waiting for us, Terence awake in bed, and the 
others asleep and invisible. 

Monday^ ijth. — In the evening we went on board the 
Druid, hoping to sail ; but there was a fog, which con- 
tinued all night, and which kept us at anchor. 

Tuesday, 14th. — We could not see our house when we 
first got up, but the mist cleared away suddenly, and we 
immediately prepared to start. Then there was great 
waving of handkerchiefs from the balcony to the steam- 
er, and from the steamer to the family on shore. About 
two o'clock we reached Murray Bay, and went ashore to 
see this rival seaside place. We took a long drive in 
two carriages, D. and I leading the way, and the Fletch- 
ers and Lady Mary following. We had beautiful weath- 
er, and thought the place quite lovely. The ground 
seems to have been cut into terraces and mounds by the 



l68 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xi 

action of water, and there are the St. Lawrence, the Mur- 
ray River, the mountains, and some very picturesque 
houses to make up' the landscape. After driving for 
nearly three hours, we dined on board, and saw a beau- 
tiful aurora ; and at twelve we started again, and found 
ourselves, on the morning of 

Wednesday y isth^ at St. Anne. We drove off early, in 
two gigs, to see some celebrated falls. The drive was 
nine miles, and we passed wood-carts almost by hun- 
dreds drawn by oxen and horses. The weather was 
fine but not clear, and we did not see the beautiful 
views to their best advantage. At the end of the drive 
we followed a woman who was to guide us to the Fall. 
She brought us up to a pretty little one, which we de- 
cided was scarcely worth all the trouble we had taken 
to see it ; but, happily, I had been told a great deal 
about the St. Anne Fall, and felt sure this could not be 
the right one. We questioned the lady, and as she ad- 
mitted that there were some " little " falls above, we de- 
termined to go on. The walk was tremendous — up 
such a hill, in the bush, and with pouring rain coming 
down upon us. However, we struggled on, and were re- 
warded by finding ourselves suddenly in front of the 
Falls. The water was rushing from a great height down 
a narrow gorge, forming six great steps or waterfalls, 
each one with a still pool at its base : so that there were 
six separate falls, and yet but one flow of water. 

By the time we got back to our carriages we were 
very tired indeed, very wet, and very ready for our 
lunch, which we were to have in a cottage. 

The yacht's cook's mother-in-law lived on the road, 
and he begged to be allowed to give us our lunch there. 
Nowell tells us that when he and the cook arrived they 
found the poor people busy with their summer cleaning; 
the man had two cans in his hand, and when the cook 



JULY 1874 ST. ANNE. l6g 

suddenly announced to him that the Governor-General 
was coming to lunch with him, he dropped both his cans, 
fell back into his chair, and shrieked '' Jamais ! " 

When we arrived, we found a flag at the gate, and 
one on the house, and the man and his wife — he not 
sixty, she seventy-two, and just married to him, en sec- 
onde noce — waiting to receive us, • 

The first room of the cottage was a big kitchen, with 
a good cooking-stove ; and the room behind was also 
very large and very clean. In three corners were beds, 
surrounded by chintz curtains hung from the ceiling. 
There was a large stove, some chests for clothes, and a 
cupboard with glass door containing china. A table in 
the middle of the room was spread for lunch. 

The old lady talked to me, and seemed much amused 
at our having so many people to wait upon us. The 
cook gave us an excellent meal, ending with wild straw- 
berries, cream, and maple sugar ! We soon after said 
a warm farewell to our hosts, and drove back to the 
wharf. We ought to have seen a church at St. Anne 
celebrated for miracles performed there, and in which 
about one hundred lame people have left their crutches; 
but we had not time to visit it. 

About eight in the evening we reached Quebec, and 
just as we landed the most awful shower I have ever 
seen came on, accompanied by thunder and lightning. 
The streets were literally flowing with water, and every 
spout was spurting forth little waterfalls. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ONTARIO AND THE LAKES. 

Wednesday, 22d. — Our mail arrived at Quebec yester- 
day evening, and as soon as we had read our letters we 
embarked on board the Druid, and began our western 
tour. We arrived at Trois Rivieres, and the Mayor 
came on board at eight o'clock this morning and took 
us ashore, where we found awaiting us a magnificent 
array of firemen, some in helmets and plumes, and some 
in full Zouave costume. 

We drove to the Town Hall, a new and very large 
room for a town numbering only 9,000 inhabitants, and 
there we had an address in French, to which D. replied 
in the same language ; then we went on to the Roman 
Catholic Cathedral, to a House of Providence, to the 
Ursuline Convent, and to the English Church, at the 
same time seeing the town, which is very pretty, with 
many grass corners, some fine trees, and a very pretty 
square. All this we accomplished by 9.30 o'clock, when 
we returned to our steamer, and a cannon announced 
that the Governor-General had gone. He soon after 
emerged from his cabin as an unofficial tourist, and we 
started in three carriages to see the Waterfall of the 
place ; it was twenty-four miles off, and we had to be 
back at 7.30, so we had no time to lose. When we got 
to it, we found a very pretty fall, though not, I think, 
quite worth the journey. Close to it there is a curiosity 
in the shape of an enormous hotel, buried in the bush, 



July 1874 TORONTO, 171 

like the palace of the belle aii bois dorDiant^ and into 
which no mortal guest has ever stepped — the produce 
of some incomprehensible speculation. We rowed six 
miles of the way back in a big, slow thing called a 
"scow," got into our carriages, and returned to Trois 
Rivieres. 

There we were met by a number of young ladies and 
a pile of bouquets, and symptoms of an illumination, 
for which they hoped we would stay ; but we had to be 
off early, in order to reach Montreal at a particular 
hour. 

Thursday^ 2jd. — We traveled by train as far as 
Kingston, and thence by steamer. 

Friday, 24th. — After a calm night on Lake Ontario, 
we landed at Toronto this morning. We had heard of 
guards of honor, etc., to meet us, but found only the 
hotel-keeper of the Queen's, who said our luggage was 
in our rooms (it had arrived by train the night before). 
He ushered us into carriages and drove us to his ho- 
tel, where we found very comfortable rooms arranged 
for us. 

Colonel Cumberland, the provincial A. D. C, having 
made all arrangements for us, we did not even know 
where we were to go, but it now turns out that he had 
engaged rooms for us at fhe Rossin House; however, 
a friend of the Queen's telegraphed to the propri- 
etor of that hotel, and he came to meet us, carried 
off our luggage, showed us into the Rossin House 
carriages, and drove to his own rival establishment. 
Our steamer was in an hour earlier than it was ex- 
pected, and Colonel Cumberland was walking up and 
down his veranda waiting for the proper time, and so 
missed us. 

D. received an address of welcome from the Town 
Council, and walked about to see the improvements 



1^2 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

in the town, and at five we liad tea at the Lieutenant- 
Governor's. 

Saturday^ 2^th. — Archie joined us. Directly after 
breakfast we drove to the railway-station, accompanied 
by a guard of honor, and there we found a very smart 
pilot-engine, ornamented with flowers and branches 
and flags ; a second one, equally gay ; then a sort of 
open carriage, with a canvas awning, with red pillars, 
and green boughs twisted about, and bouquets in the 
lamp-stands ; next this we had a very comfortable ordi- 
nary railway carriage, with chairs and sofas, but when we 
passed stations we went into the open one, and smiled 
sweetly. 

The first place we stopped at was called Newmarket; 
here we got out, and, mounting a stand, received two 
addresses. Then we got into carriages, and drove 
through the town, passing under four or five triumphal 
arches, to lay the foundation stone of a church. 

All the country had come into the town, and almost 
every house had decorations and people in the windows. 
D. laid the stone, upon which " Straight forward " was 
engraved, was given a silver trowel, and drove back to 
the train. 

The next ceremony was lunch at Allendale, in a very 
fine station on the borders of Lake Simcoe. It is the 
junction for Barrie, of which it has a lovely view ; we 
went on there in the train, and passed under a fine arch 
close to the station at Barrie, to receive addresses from 
the corporation, and one from the clergy of all denomi- 
nations in the place. There was a great crowd, and all 
the people we have seen to-day seem well-to-do ; so 
well-dressed, and flourishing-looking. 

Here we left our smart train, and got into a " special " 
steamer, in which we had the most delightful voyage 
across Lake Simcoe; the air delicious, and the scenery 



JULY 1874 ORILLIA. 172 

beautiful ; green, clear water, and wooded islands, and 
a very distant shore. The day warm, but this traveling 
was perfection. 

About five we came to a very curious place, called 
the Narrows, where the steamer passes under two bridges, 
and through a grass cutting ; having only a foot to spare 
on each side, it is necessary to go very fast so as to be 
able to steer. Just before we got here four steamers 
decorated with flags and filled with people came out to 
meet us, and D. and I stood out on the bows and bowed, 
and the people waved their handkerchiefs and cheered; 
then we went in procession through the Narrows. Soon 
we came in sight of the hotel at which vv^e are now stay- 
ing ; it is built on a promontory, and is a sort of garden 
in the bush ; the grounds are laid out with grass, flowers, 
fountains, and with summer-houses hanging over the 
water. Having got through the Narrows, we are now in 
Lake Couchiching, and this is the Couchiching Hotel. 
We passed it, however, for the moment, and went on to 
Orillia. Some Indians in canoes came out to meet us; 
their flags were larger than their boats, and one man 
kept making furious gesticulations of welcome with a 
drawn saber. 

Orillia gave us a great welcome ; there were four or 
five arches — immense erections — one of them rather dif- 
ferent from the ordinary pattern ; it was castellated, and 
was ornamented with wheat, and with the animals of the 
country, stuffed — a deer on the top, birds, foxes, etc., in 
various recesses. Then there were all sorts of mottoes 
and good wishes, and the name of " Killyleagh " ap- 
peared, having been inspired by an old shopman from 
Belfast. 

This place is on the edge of the settled country, and 
on the outskirts of the grant now set apart for emigrants. 
It is most flourishing. We drove through the town, and 



174 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

received two addresses on a stand in the middle of a 
sort of common. Then we returned to the steamer, and 
made our way to the hotel. 

We dined privately, and afterwards were ceremoni- 
ously presented to all the people in the house ; we then 
" repaired " to the larger dining-room, where there was 
dancing. We also had fireworks, and a band play- 
ing till eleven o'clock, when at last we went gladly 
to bed. 

Sunday^ 26th. — We went by steamer to church at Oril- 
lia. Towards the end of the Litany the poor old clerg- 
man fainted ; another clergyman finished the prayers, 
and we left. 

D. went to see the Rector, and found that he was 
dreadfully disappointed that the sermon he had prepared 
had not been read ; so we are going to ask for a copy 
of it. It seems he had been ill all night, and the doctor 
fears apoplexy. 

Mo?iday, 2yth. — D. went out fishing before breakfast, 
and brought home some pretty but uneatable sun-fish. 
Fred had been miserable since we arrived, his portman- 
teau, containing everything he possesses, having disap- 
peared, and he has been dressed in borrowed plumes ; but 
last night it was found in the hotel. The young ladies 
in a body congratulated him, and he had to make them 
a speech. 

There was a little regatta this morning, and an In- 
dian canoe-race ; I gave the winners of this last their 
prizes, and afterwards we started in our small steamer up 
Lake Couchiching. 

The first place we stopped at was an Indian reserve 
called Rama. They had put up a platform and flags, and 
they fired off guns, and the chief and his " young men " 
met us on the wharf, and when we got on the dais they 
all stood round. The Wesleyan missionary read an ad- 



JULY 1874 MUSKOKA LAKE. 1 75 

dress, to which D. replied that he was glad to hear that 
his children were content, and that it was the intention 
and endeavor of the Government to keep faith in every 
particular with the Indian subjects, in whom their great 
Mother, the Queen, took also a special interest, etc. 
Then he presented the chief, Benson, with a History of 
the Holy Land, illustrated, and we looked at the babies, 
who were being carried about on a novel sort of cradle. 
It is a flat board, on which the child lies ; at the top of 
it there is a skeleton hood, which can be thrown back in 
the house, while out of doors it is raised, and has gen- 
erally a shawl thrown over it. It is a most convenient 
cradle, as it can be set up against a wall, or hung up on 
a nail, or in a tree, the child being quite safely tied into 
it. It also goes flat against the mother's back as she 
walks along. 

We looked at th*e plain little church, and went into 
one of the houses and distributed pipes and beads, and 
then said good-by. They sang " God save the Queen " 
in Indian. These are the Ojibbeway Indians. The mis- 
sionary, his wife, and two nice children came with us to 
the next place — Washago. 

This is only a temporary railway-station, but there 
was lunch in a car, an address, a guard of honor, and a 
foundation stone of a church to be laid. After this we 
got into carriages to drive fourteen miles. We stopped 
twice on the way — at Severn and at Gravenhurst — and 
received addresses. At each place where this occurs D. 
makes a speech, instead of reading a formal reply. When 
we left our carriages we got on to a steamer covered with 
flags, and steamed along a lovely place, called Muskoka 
Bay, into Muskoka Lake, and then through a most curi- 
ous, narrow river, in which we twisted and turned round 
islands, and had only just room to move; sometimes we 
appeared to be going straight ashore, and then turned 



1^6 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. xii 

suddenly to one side and were saved. This river brought 
us to Bracebridge. 

Bracebridge is an entirely new town, on the border 
of the New Muskoka Grant. It has grown wonderfully, 
considering that eight years ago the white man had not 
set his foot there. A band and a crowd met us on the 
wharf, and we drove through the town, the band preced- 
ing us, the Governor-General's carriage in front, and 
mine behind. I think we passed under seven or eight 
arches before we came to the dais erected for the cere- 
mony of presenting the address. The houses here are 
remarkably neat and finished-looking, and the population 
is almost entirely English. 

When we returned to the steamer I had an interview 
with a very charming emigrant. I was very much inter- 
ested in her, and in her husband's history and their pres- 
ent life. He was valet, and she was lady's-maid, with 
Sir William and Lady Anna Stirling-Maxwell ; they mar- 
ried, and made up their minds to come here. Of course, 
neither he nor she knew anything in the world about 
farming; but they took the grant of 200 acres of un- 
cleared land (in fact, of forest), and set-to to make a 
home. They have been here five years, and have two 
fine boys, and she was so merry, and so happy and cou- 
rageous. They do everything for themselves, and are get- 
ting on well. Their land is good, and, if only the railway 
comes to it, Bracebridge will become an important town. 

Tuesday, 28th. — We slept on board, and started at six 
this morning, sailing through Lakes Rousseau and Jo- 
seph. As we passed through the lock between the two, 
D. stepped ashore to speak to the few men there, and was 
followed in great haste by his A. D. C. and two reporters. 
His visit was quite unexpected, but one of the men made 
him a very good speech, though he trembled so over it 
that he could scarcely stand. 



July 1074 SETTLERS. lyy 

I can't attempt to describe the delightful traveling 
on these lovely lakes, or to tell you particulars of the 
scenery, and I have so many facts to put down that I 
have no time for details. 

We stopped at Rousseau, where we visited the church, 
and a poor Icelandic family, and landed at the Summit 
House, where we got into carriages. The drive was 
seventeen miles long, and was right through the free 
grants, where any man coming out and wishing to take 
up a farm, receives 200 acres of forest free. As we 
drove along we saw settlers in all stages of their exist- 
ence. 

First we went into a neat cottage, where we found a 
County Down man; he seemed delicate. All his sons 
had set up for themselves, and I think the work was too 
much for him alone. 

Then we saw a Parisian jeweler — the merriest man ! 
He was turned into a hard-working farmer, and sees 
everything in couleur de rose. He had two very nice 
boys. Again, we saw a Canadian and an Enniskillen 
man living opposite each other, and both very happy and 
content. They all say the land is good, though there is 
much rock in parts of it. The finest family we saw was 
that of an old soldier from Meath. He and his wife had 
nine children, all beautifully dressed in white frocks with 
sashes, and, in the house, one wall was covered with 
books. The man was loud in his praises of the country, 
and would advise everybody to come here. The whole 
of this line of road is much more thickly settled than we 
expected ; it is through a fine forest, and no part of it is 
far from a lake. 

Finally, we arrived at Parry Sound, where we had 
addresses and arches, and a " sail " in a steam-tug ; then 
we went on board the Chicoray our new home for a fort- 
night. 



I^g MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

She is a very large steamer, and was formerly a cele- 
brated blockade-runner known as the Letter B. Now 
she has stories of cabins built on her deck. We have 
her all to ourselves. This was Archie's birthday, so he 
dined with us. 

Wednesday^ 2pth. — We left Parry Sound early in the 
morning, and about twelve o'clock found ourselves off 
Collingwood. 

Nine steamers came out to meet us, with flags and 
passengers. They turned, and followed us to the town. 
There we had addresses, and arches, and a drive. Two 
little girls dressed as " Britannia " and " Canada " stood 
at the corners of the principal arch. 

When we left, the steamers followed us out for some 
way, and there was a great farewell, with cheering and 
shrieking of engines, as we parted company. 

Our next destination was Owen Sound. The ad- 
dresses and arches you may imagine. The feature of 
the visit was a drive. I found myself behind four horses 
and postilions, an outrider in uniform in front of us, and 
about forty vehicles following us. We drove through 
the town and under the arches, and out to a waterfall. 
The country is very beautiful ; the finest trees we have 
seen in Canada, and everything more park-like than is 
common here. 

We returned on board for dinner, and during that 
meal went on to Presqu'ile, where there was a magnifi- 
cent bonfire and a string of lamps. While taking in 
wood we walked to the bonfire, and were given a letter 
and a jar of honey. 

Thursday^ joth. — We went into Killarney (the Indian 
name of this place signifies " here is a channel "), and 
sailed up a very narrow passage to reach it. The In- 
dians were collected on the wharf, and fired a salute. 
One of them made a speech to His Ex., stopping at the 



JULY 1874 MANITOULIN INDIANS, lyg 

end of each sentence to have it translated into English ; 
D.'s reply went through the same process. We also 
spoke to the women and looked at the church, and dis- 
'tributed knives, pipes, tobacco, and beads. There was 
one funny old man with a drum, who took to dancing 
and singing before us. 

At one o'clock we came to another Indian settle- 
ment — Manitoulin. The Indians here seemed very poor, 
and the one who made the speech spoke much to this 
effect: "We are glad to see you; our wives and our 
children are glad to see you, our father. We have come 
far to see you, and have brought our wives and our chil- 
dren to see you ; and we are hungry, for we have had 
nothing to eat." D. ordered them a barrel of flour and 
a hundred-weight of pork. When he replies to the In- 
dians, they give a deep grunt at the end of each of his 
sentences, which has a most peculiar effect. 

They sometimes give me presents of their work, 
which I immediately pay for. At this last place there 
are Episcopalian and Wesleyan missionaries ; and at Kil- 
larney we saw a Roman Catholic priest, who came in our 
steamer, greet his flock in a very affectionate manner. 

The evening was a little rough, but we stopped at 
Bruce's Mines for the night. 

Friday, jist. — At six in the morning we went ashore to 
see the copper-mines, which are not flourishing, though 
the ground appears to be covered with the mineral, and 
we picked up a great many specimens. 

On our way to Sault Ste. Marie we passed through a 
very beautiful and curious place called the Devil's Gap. 
There are a number of islands, so close together that it 
is impossible to see the way between them till you come 
straight opposite the channel, and then the view down 
each passage is very pretty. The one we passed through 
seemed only just large enough to hold our great steamer. 
13 



l8o MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

We stopped a few minutes at Garden River, where 
there was an Indian settlement, and a fine-looking chief, 
who danced for us. Then we reached Sault Ste. Marie, 
where we found an arch and an address, and went some 
way in a boat to lay the stone of an Indian school, and 
had lunch in the carpenter's shop, which the ladies had 
ornamented and made very smart. 

Archie was very ill all day, and frightened us in the 
afternoon. Luckily we found very a good doctor here, 
who has kindly promised to come on with us in the 
steamer. 

Sunday, August 2d. — We arrived at the mouth of the 
Nipigon River this morning, and went a little way up it 
in boats to see a Hudson's Bay settlement. 

The gentlemen visited a store there, and came home 
dressed in white blanket-coats and red caps, looking 
very picturesque. At the Fort we saw a number of most 
miserable Indians, who sat huddled together, and who 
were dressing their children's hair much after the man- 
ner of the monkeys in the Zoo. These are the lowest 
class of Indians we have seen. 

In the afternoon we found ourselves off Michipicoten 
Island, which is supposed to be very rich in agates ; but 
all those on the surface have been already picked up, and 
we only saw a few small specimens. The old gentleman 
who keeps the Lighthouse gave me a good one, and also 
presented us with three splendid trout. 

Monday, 3d. — Our next stopping-place was Nipigon. 
We passed through some very pretty scenery in coming 
to it — high rocks and curious-shaped hills — and anchored 
at a little Hudson's Bay settlement at the mouth of the 
river, where our first business, in the morning, was to 
rush to the store and make purchases for our fishing 
and camping-out expedition — knives, blankets, tin plates, 
mugs, looking-glasses, flies, etc. There were a good 



AUG. 1874 CAMPING OUT. igi 

many Indians sitting about, and D. did the portrait of 
one girl, who giggled tremendously over it. The next 
thing was to pack our canoes. We had five. Ours was 
painted white, with Union Jacks on the bows ; and into 
it got D. and I, the Fletchers, Archie, four men, and all 
our blankets, luggage, and tents. The second held the 
Freds, Dr. King (who is looking after Archie), Captain 
Wilson (our guide), Mr. Dixon (Archie's tutor), and four 
men, with a good deal of their luggage. There were 
three more canoes with baggage. 

Our journey was a good specimen of the canoe and 
"portage" journeys one reads about. 

Whenever we came to rapids we landed, and walked 
to the head of them, the canoes and all the things being 
carried by the boatmen. We had one portage soon 
after we left CMcora, and when we again got into our 
canoes we passed through a widening of the river which 
made quite a respectable lake. We came to a peninsula, 
with a rapid rushing past it, which we thought might be 
our camping-place ; so we got out, and I began to fish, 
and very soon landed a good trout with my four-ounce 
rod. When the rest of the party came up, they told us 
that this was not our destination, so we had to cross the 
rapid and portage again. We did not quite like this 
camping-ground; it was on the banks of a small arm 
of the Nipigon, and we thought it damp, so, although 
we ate our dinner there, we pitched our tents on the 
top of the hill. The night was cold, and a heavy dew 
fell. 

D. and I have an ''American officers' tent," which is 
a most comfortable one, and Archie was allowed to have 
a corner in it. Colonel Fletcher has a funny little tent, 
which comes out of his carpet-bag, and which holds him 
and Lady Harriet. All the other gentlemen sleep in 
one large marquee; and the men have three more tents. 



1 82 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

Tuesday, 4th. — We got up early, as we had a portage 
to make at once ; and after a cup of coffee we set out. 
All the gentlemen had to carry things, and stumbled 
along with loads of blankets on their backs. 

When we got to the end of this rather long portage, 
we had breakfast, and started off again. The day was 
very hot, and I felt the sun rather, and was not very 
well ; but I managed to get along with the others. We 
paddled through some lovely places, and saw some beau- 
tiful rapids, and had three more portages. At the end 
of one we found a party of Americans — three doctors — 
who seemed very nice people. Straight opposite them, 
across the river, was another camp of Americans, with a 
lady in it. At the site of our permanent camp three 
branches of a very pretty rapid met, and swept dow^n the 
river together. Here I stood out upon a rock and 
fished. On one side of me D. was lashing the water ; 
then Fred Ward, barefooted, in the middle of the stream; 
then Archie, with (tell it not in Gath !) a spoon at the 
end of his rod (poaching, in fact) ; then Fred and the 
Doctor also fishing. None of us made great bags, as 
the fish (of which there are quantities) were perfectly 
gorged with shad-flies, and had no room for our delicate 
baits. Those we did catch were about two pounds 
weight. The cook, who carries about iron bars and sets 
up a fireplace wherever we go, provided us with an ex- 
cellent dinner, and we sat round a bonfire till bedtime. 

As this was our permanent camp, we made ourselves 
very comfortable. The whole floor of the tent was 
spread wMth fir-boughs, which are laid down most care- 
fully and scientifically by the men, and make a most de- 
lightful carpet and spring mattress. 

Wednesday, ^th. — Alas ! it rains. Lady Harriet and 
I spent the greater part of the day in my tent ; and D., 
Colonel Fletcher, Fred Ward, the Doctor, and Captain 



AUG. 1874 PORTAGES. jg^ 

Wilson, went off to see Lake Nipigon, which is about 
sixty miles long. In the evening we fished again, and 
the Lake party came home in time to try their luck — 
which was small. 

Thursday^ 6th. — To-day we de-camped. We began 
with a portage, and arrived at the beginning of another 
long one just before lunch. You have never seen 
such appetites as we all had ! We were ravenous, and 
cleared every plate. Thus strengthened we started 
again, everybody carrying something, and some of the 
gentlemen with great loads on their backs. 

When we got to the end of the portage we had to 
wait some time, as the men having to carry over the 
canoes had to make two journeys of it. When we got 
into the canoes we ran some very exciting rapids. We 
camped at the " Alexander Camp," which I have told 
you of before — a charming spot, but the fishing no bet- 
ter than at the other places. I wish, however, that you 
could see Archie catch a trout; the instant he gets it 
ashore he hugs it in his arms, and seems to think that 
the danger of losing it only begins on land. His coat 
suffered greatly in these struggles. D. and I each 
caught one trout, and then we dined, roasted ourselves 
at the camp-fire, and slept. 

Friday^ yth. — Off we are again, tents and baggage, and 
pots and pans, packed for their last trip in the canoe. 

We had a pleasant voyage down to the Chicora^ and 
found her beautifully ornamented for our reception, a 
triumphal arch at the top of the companion, and green 
wreaths over all the doors and hanging from the chande- 
liers. We lunched, devoted an hour to a tremendous 
wash after four nights of camping-out, and, arrayed in 
a little extra finery as a reaction, went to call upon Mrs. 
Crauford, a lady who had sent us a jar of most delicious 
fresh butter. 



1 84 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

It is six o'clock, and we have just sailed away; and 
the ever-rough surface of Lake Superior lies before us. 

D. has been doing several portraits of Indians. The 
translations of their names are curious, and we made the 
acquaintance of a " Naughty little Woman," of " She 
who cries with Joy," and of " The Cloud that is past." 

Saturday, 8th. — There was a fog on the Lake, so we 
remained at the entrance to it all night, but got off early 
in the morning, and arrived at Silver Islet in four or five 
hours, having to pass through a disagreeable swell on 
our way there. The island itself is a mere rock, origi- 
nally seventy by eighty feet ; but it has been artificially 
increased fifty-seven times that size by breakwaters and 
docks built all round it. A Canadian company first be- 
gan to work the mines, but, getting into difficulties, they 
sold them to an American company, who are now mak- 
ing a great deal of money. There is great expense in 
keeping out the water, as the "Islet" only just rises 
above the level of the Lake. We went over from the 
mainland in a tug, and saw all that could be seen with- 
out actually going down the mine. The silver is in fern- 
like patterns in a sort of white quartz. The " Captain " 
of the undertaking isa" Frew " from County Down, and 
talks of going home this year to put up a monument to 
his mother in Bangor Churchyard. 

You see, we are constantly meeting successful people 
from that renowned county 1 

We proceeded on our journey, and passing Thunder 
Cape — high basaltic rocks, in places very precipitous, a 
fine piece of scenery — got into Thunder Bay. We landed 
at Prince Arthur's Landing, and received an address 
under a very hot sun. This is quite a new town — four 
years old; it looked very pretty, every house being 
decorated with green, and a quantity of flags about. It 
expects to become a great city. D. went out for a drive; 



AUG. i874 INDIANS AT SHEBANDOWAN, 185 

but as I always shirk four strange horses when I can, I 
returned to the steamer. 

We asked some gentlemen to dinner, and we sat on 
the deck and looked at the fireworks on shore. The 
young men went to a dance, and enjoyed themselves 
very much. 

Sunday^ g>th. — We went to church in the morning, 
and afterwards to Fort William, a Hudson's Bay settle- 
ment, where we lunched with Mr. Macintyre, his wife, 
and their nice daughter. It came on to thunder and rain 
heavily later, and we were glad to get back to the Chi- 
cora in a tug. 

Monday^ loth. — We had to start at five o'clock in the 
morning, having seventy miles to drive. Some of us 
were in a sort of char a banc^ drawn by four horses, 
which we changed four times en route^ and the rest of the 
party were in smaller carriages. We got safely to She- 
bandowan, where we found about 120 Indians, who had 
all come down from the woods to be paid their annual 
stipend. 

They were more savage than those we have seen be- 
fore, and, though most of them wore European clothes, 
they had some symptoms of the wild man about them. 
They are pagans; and there were two medicine-men, 
who sat on the ground, and drummed, or " tom-tom'd," 
and sang in a dreary, monotonous tone, winding up each 
song with a discordant yell. One of them was painted 
green and yellow, and each wore a band round his head. 
Their profiles were handsome, but their full faces hide- 
ous. The interpreter was bad, so D. was not able to say 
very much to them; but he presented them with tobacco, 
pipes, knives, pork, and flour, which they probably pre- 
ferred to conversation. We went into a wigwam made 
of birch-bark, which looked wonderfully roomy and clean 
inside. 



1 86 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xii 

We then got into a large canoe, and were tugged 
about the Shebandowan Lake, a very pleasant and cool 
way of moving about, compared to the carriage. We 
did not get back to the sleeping-place, which we had 
passed on our way here, till after nine ; so we dmed at 
once, and went early to bed. We slept in a cottage, and 
the Fletchers in a tent. 

Tuesday^ nth. — We were again called at five, and 
found a wet morning — such a wet morning ! However, we 
breakfasted, and, hoping for the best, drove in our shaky 
wagon for five miles to the borders of the Kamanistiqwa 
River, where we got into canoes to paddle sixty miles. 
I may say here that the river is evidently lovely, and 
had the day been fine we should have enjoyed it im- 
mensely ; but the weather was perfectly awful, a thunder- 
shower lasting till one o'clock, which wetted us to the 
skin long before that hour. 

During this downpour we had to get out of the canoes 
eight times to make portages, and you may imagine how 
miserable we were walking through narrow paths in 
dripping woods, our clothes heavy with rain ! The worst 
bit of walk led to a magnificent waterfall, which was 
well worth seeing, even though we had to stumble over 
roots and trunks of trees, and in and out of pools of wa- 
ter, to get to it. It is 1 20 feet high, and very grand. 

At one we lunched, and the rain ceased ; we lit a fire, 
and dried our cloaks, but of course could do nothing 
to our boots or underclothing. A dish of hot pota- 
toes brightened us up, and we got on pretty well till 
7.30 p. M., when we reached a place where a steamer was 
to meet us. We had been looking forward with longing 
to this happy termination of our troubles ; but when we 
got there, we found that the steamer had given us up, 
and had left ten minutes before ! We were in despair at 
the idea of a further ten miles' paddle, but the canoe- 



AUG. i874 SAULT STE. MARIE. 1 8/ 

men bore it with great good-humor, and immediately 
started off to race, by way of enlivening the time, and it 
was very pretty to see our five canoes shooting through 
the water. Our patience was rewarded, and our misery 
was soon changed into joy, for some wise friend sent the 
steamer back ; and when we met her we were comforted 
by a cup of the best hot coffee I ever tasted. 

We had promised to visit an Indian Mission on our 
way, and so we did ; but the children there had all gone 
to bed when we arrived, and so we just peeped at their 
little dark heads as they lay asleep. 

We reached the Chicora about nine, and took off our 
damp things at once. I was rather ill in the night, but 
none of us caught cold or were really hurt by the wet- 
ting. 

Thursday^ 13th. — We reached Sault Ste. Marie early 
this morning, having made a quick passage from Thun- 
der Bay across the terrible lake. Captain Wilson, before 
giving up his post as guide, took us down the rapids here, 
which are very long and exciting ; and then we bade fare- 
well to him and to the Doctor. We have liked them 
both very much, and they have been a great addition to 
our party, so we were sorry to say good-by. Dr. King 
is an Englishman, but has joined the United States Army. 

We had a very pretty sail down Lake Huron, and ar- 
rived at Mackinaw late in the evening, anchoring in a 
little harbor which only just held us. 

Friday^ 14th. — A delightful voyage down Lake Michi- 
gan. 

Saturday^ i^th. — This morning we came in sight of 
Chicago. A tug came off with our Consul (Mr. War- 
wick) in full uniform, who told us all the arrangements 
that have been made for our reception. The weather is 
beautiful. 

We lunched early, and immediately after the Com- 



1 88 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

mittee of Reception came on board. The President of 
the Committee is from County Down (Mr, Dickson), and 
his wife was a Miss Reid, and was at Killyleagh the day 
of our marriage. He is very happy here, and is pleased 
at being so well acquainted with us. Another member 
is from Killinchy (more County Down). 

When D. had spoken to all the committee, we ad- 
journed to the immense drawing-room of a gigantic hotel ; 
there we were introduced to the Mayor, who made a 
speech, to which His Ex. replied ; then to the President 
of the Board of Trade, to the Presidents of the St. 
George, St. Andrews, and the Caledonian Societies, who 
all mades peeches, which were all replied to ; also to the 
Governor of the State ; and I think there must have been 
more, but I can not remember them. Some unofficial in- 
troductions followed, and then we got into the first of 
sixty barouches to drive through the town. We saw the 
extent of the fire of 187 1, and the wonderful way in 
which the city has risen from its ashes ; also the effects 
of a second enormous fire last July : streets, churches, 
etc., all in ruins. 

What I think is really beautiful here, is a drive by 
the shores of Lake Michigan : the water is a lovely, deli- 
cate blue-green color, there is no land in sight, the beach 
is charming, and the lake is covered with ships. This 
drive forms part of a very pretty park, in which there 
are small lakes, zoological gardens, etc., and lots of peo- 
ple about, in carriages, and boats, sitting, walking, and 
picnicking — the most Hyde Park-like thing I have seen 
on this continent. 

We next visited the Waterworks, which are enor- 
mous. 

We passed twice under the river through massive 
tunnels, and saw a number of very handsome new 
streets. 



AUG. 1874 CHICAGO. i8q 

The Consul sent me some beautiful flowers and fruit. 

I don't attempt much description of Chicago — a 
guide-book and statistics would be required. I can 
hardly believe I am here, and shall certainly not realize 
it until I see the celebrated pig-killing machines on 
Monday, of which one has always heard. 

Mr. Dickson and his wife, the Consul and his sister, 
General Sheridan, and the President of the Board of 
Trade, dined with us on board, and at ten we drove to 
the hotel where we are to stay — the " Palmer House." 

It is a palace : marble staircases, broad passages 
handsomely carpeted, and furnished with crimson-satin 
sofas and chairs ; chimney-pieces from Italy, in lofty 
rooms also beautifully furnished; pier glasses — every 
luxury, in fact. Each bedroom opens into a sitting- 
room, and off mine there is a bath-room with hot and 
cold water laid on. The bedroom has velvet-pile carpets 
with Aubusson patterns, plain crimson curtains, and 
chairs — such as I wish I had in my drawing-room at 
Clandeboye. 

When we arrived we were presented to the manager, 
were seated in a comfortable room, and were " elevated " 
to our flat. The manager walked along and talked 
amicably to us. Pointing out the sitting-room he said, 
"This is the young gentlemen's room "; and then, lay- 
ing hold of D.'s arm with both hands, added, " I don't 
know whether you are to be counted among them, my 
Lord." 

Sunday, i6th. — Such a breakfast ! No wonder Ameri- 
cans despise our efforts in the way of hotels. Being out 
of the Dominion, we arranged "to have our meals in the 
public rooms, so we went into breakfast in an enormous 
hall, and sat at a small table. There were two smaller 
rooms off it, filled with tables, and quantities of black 
waiters to attend upon the people, and a lengthy bill-of- 



igO MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xil 

fare to select from. I must say that everything was 
very good of its kind — tea, coffee, milk, eggs, and cook- 
ery, all of the very best, and it was amusing to see 
how it was all managed. 

I went to a church which was in mourning for a 
bishop, and we had a curious sermon in his praise. His 
industry, his good manners, his beautiful French, the 
graceful way in which he could pay a compliment, etc., 
were all set before us with much gesticulation ; but, in 
spite of all that was odd in the description of him, we 
received the impression of his having been a really good 
man. Everybody uses fans in church, and the singing 
was " done " by two men and two women. 

The manager of the Hotel has placed the most 
magnificent flowers in my room, " with his compli- 
ments." 

I have, you see, lost one of my prejudices already — 
that against the American hotel system; and I think 
their ladies dress well ; they have quite the French 
knack of putting on things. We saw some girls in the 
Park with the commonest untrimmed harvest-hats, and 
they looked smart in them ; black or gray is almost en- 
tirely worn, but the simplest materials are made up, and 
put on in a successful way. 

At five o'clock we went into the Park for a little. 
All the German population were out, sitting on the 
grass, rowing in boats, eating their dinners, and spend- 
ing the day there. A band played during the afternoon. 
There is the beginning of a collection of animals : two 
fine elk, a small lion, two grizzly bears, two buffaloes, 
etc. 

The drive by the Lake was crowded with carriages. 

Monday^ lyth. — After breakfast we got the manager 
to take us over the Hotel. It is a great concern, and 
was a curious sight. 



AUG. 1874 THE PALMER HOUSE. IqI 

There are 200 women- and 125 men-servants, and 18 
cooks. 

Outside the kitchen is a carving-room, in which all 
the joints are on hot plates, with their own sauces in 
tins before them ; vegetables also ready to be helped 
there. Regulations for the servants were written up on 
the wall ; the first was, " No servant is ever to tell a guest 
there is none of anything until he has first been to say 
so to the manager." 

A washing-up room came next, and then the enor- 
mous kitchen, in which were two large " kettle-drum " 
caldrons for soup, six broiling places, an oven for beef, 
one for mutton, another for veal, etc., etc., and places in 
the same way for each different vegetable. We were 
there between meals, and saw the chops, cutlets, and 
chickens being packed in tins ready for cooking; when 
ready they are slipped into an ice-cupboard in the 
kitchen till required. 

The store-rooms are regular shops. We also visited 
the bake-room, where excellent bread is made; the 
pastry-room, laundry, larders ; and finally we inspected 
the bedrooms. Even the top ones are smartly fur- 
nished, and there are eleven miles of good carpet down 
in the hotel. 

One drawing-room is in the Egyptian style: green 
and crimson satin furniture, the chimney-piece and the 
corners of the chairs and sofas carved into black and 
gold Sphinxes. One bedroom is done in pink satin and 
black velvet, but every part of the house is most gor- 
geous. The bar-room is very large, and has ten or 
twelve billiard-tables in it. They gave us the most de- 
licious lemonade there, and I was just enjoying it when 
a message came to say the " Board of Trade " (to which 
I had not intended to go) did expect me; so I had to 
get on my bonnet a:t once. 



IQ2 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

The Mayor, Governor, and other officials conducted 
us thither, and we met together in a small room at the 
Exchange, which was what D. expected ; but what was 
our surprise at being taken from it into the enormous 
Exchange Room, and to find it crowded with people ! 
D. and I were put upon a platform before them, and the 
President, knocking with a hammer for silence, said : 
" His Excellency the Governor-General of Canada will 
now address you." D., who was taken quite unawares, 
made them a very good speech. He had to speak at. 
the top of his voice, for it was very noisy outside, and 
there was some telegraphing machine passing through 
the room, which kept up a constant racket ; but he was 
heard, and what he said was very well received. The 
Governor of Illinois said a few words, and then the 
President asked any one who wished to be presented 
to pass by the " north " side of the platform, and we 
shook hands with all who came up. 

We next adjourned to the Grand Pacific Hotel, where 
the Board of Trade gave us luncheon. 

This is another palace, and I never saw an entertain- 
ment better done, or with more taste. A band was 
stationed in the passage, which played " God save the 
Queen," and other music. The lunch was cold, with 
the exception of hot turtle soup and coffee. 

The table was T-shaped, and we sat at the top, hav- 
ing no one opposite us. A row of black waiters stood 
at the end of the room. They wore white aprons, 
black tail-coats, and white gloves, and looked so funny 
" at attention," their white paws crossed over their 
chests; when a signal was given, they all marched in to 
serve. 

Again we got into our carriages, and drove to the 
Stock-yards. The machinery, into which a pig walks 
alive at one end, and comes out a ham at the other, had 



AUG. 1874 THE SHOPS. IQ^ 

just Stopped working, but it was fully explained to us. 
There were yards full of cows waiting to be sold. 

I enjoyed the drive there, and if it had not been so 
very long, the drive home would have been delightful, 
and even in my state of fatigue it interested me much. 
I was so surprised to find nine miles of boulevards — that 
is, of broad carriage-drive, the edges beautifully finished 
off, trees planted on either side, parts of it park-like, 
and parts filled with flowers. Then there are beautiful 
villas and streets, in which each house has its own bit 
of lawn and garden. I had thought of Chicago only as 
a money-making place, and did not expect to find so 
much spent on beautifying. I am delighted with it — the 
place. 

I had an hour's rest after my return, and then dressed 
to receive any people who might come to see us. The 
manager sent Lady Harriet and me beautiful bouquets 
for the occasion, and when we went into his drawing- 
room the flowers were a beautiful sight. One table was 
covered with bouquets, which were afterwards presented 
to each lady as she came in ; the chimney-pieces, etc., all 
over flowers. 

A number of people came, another Killyleagh man 
among them, Murdoch by name ; he only left ten years 
ago, and has " seen nothing equal to it " (Killyleagh) 
since. He took to printing, about which he knew noth- 
ing, and seems to be flourishing. 

Tuesday, i8th. — D. and the other gentlemen drove off 
early to see the " Prairie," and Lady Harriet and I went 
an expedition with the Consul's sister-in-law over the 
shops of the town. 

The first we did was Field & Lighter, where a most 
amiable man showed us everything from top to bottom. 
It is a very large general shop. Gloves are \os. a pair ; 
a muslin dress, very much trimmed with imitation lace, 



IQ4 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

;£"3o ; and the making of a plain dress, ;£6, which is not 
cheap. 

Then we went to a china-shop (all came from Eng- 
land), and to a toy-shop, where I made a few purchases 
for my family. We also were shown a confectioner's, or 
" candy-shop," and we saw the picture painted in Eng- 
land, and sent by the "Graphic" as a memorial of the 
Chicago fire. 

Another sight was very curious. People here often 
keep their own money, instead of putting it into banks, 
and we visited the safes. There are small rooms, the 
walls of which are lined with pigeon-holes, each having 
a very strong door and lock of its own. Persons hire 
these boxes, have their own keys, and sometimes go 
twenty or thirty times a day to use their money. Ladies 
also hire these safes for jewelry. The outside door 
weighs five tons. 

D. enjoyed his visit to the Prairie, or " Perairer," as 
they call it here. He shot one " chicken " — a prairie 
fowl ; the others nothing ; but they were only there a 
short time, and they saw the country, which was what 
they wanted. 

On their return we dined, and prepared for our de- 
parture. The hotel-keeper again presented us with bou- 
quets and enormous baskets of splendid fruit. Mr. 
Murdoch came to say good-by to his Killyleagh friends. 

We traveled all night in a Pullman car, and slept 
very comfortably. 

Wednesday^ igth. — We arrived at Detroit this morn- 
ing, which seems to be a very pretty town. D., Fred 
Ward, and Colonel Fletcher went by steamer to Windsor 
and Chatham, but as they had to return here I ga.ve up 
the expedition. At both places D. had very warm recep- 
tions, and Colonel Fletcher tells me he made excellent 
speeches. 



AUG. 1874 DETROIT AND SARNIA. 1^5 

Lady Harriet, Fred, and I, walked about to look in 
at shop-windows, and at five o'clock we crossed the river 
in a steamer to meet D. at Windsor. 

We all returned together, and were magnificently 
"received" at Detroit. The steamer stopped at the 
foot of a fine, very wide street going straight up the 
town ; it was crowded with people, flags flying from most 
of the houses ; there were companies of United States 
troops, fire-engines, police, a military band in the streets, 
and people sitting in all the windows. We drove in 
procession through a great part of the town, D. going 
first with the Mayor, Mr. Moffatt. Detroit is very 
pretty : the streets are planted with double rows of 
trees; there are squares, a fine Town-Hall, and gardens 
round all the dwelling-houses. At one place the pro- 
cession reached completely round the square, the head 
and the tail of it meeting and passing each other. We 
returned to the Town-Hall, and there we heard a speech 
of welcome from the " Orator " of the town, and D. made 
a very good reply. Two other speeches followed, all 
expressing the warmest friendship to England and Can- 
ada. The Town-Hall was illuminated. After dinner 
some singers came and serenaded us. 

ThiLrsday, 20th. — This morning, at 8.30, we left De- 
troit, and getting on board a most comfortable little 
steamer, went down the St. Clair River to Sarnia. 

Mr. Mackenzie, the Prime Minister, who comes from 
Sarnia, was with us, and we had a pleasant journey through 
lovely scenery, and in beautiful weather. 

Mr. Mackenzie was evidently very anxious that Sar- 
nia should distinguish itself, and looked very much 
pleased when four steamers, crammed with people, and 
covered with flags and green boughs, came out to meet 
us. 

The river here joins Lake Huron, and is at this point 
14 



Iq6 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

very narrow, Fort Huron, an American town, being 
straight opposite. 

When we arrived at the wharf we found a pink-and- 
white pavilion erected, ornamented with festoons of red, 
white, and blue ; and close by it, on the one side, a very 
large stand, upon which hundreds of people were sitting; 
on the other side, two tents carpeted, and arranged for 
a reception. D. as usual replied to two addresses, and 
then no less than ten were read to him by chiefs of dif- 
ferent Indian tribes, to which he replied in one speech. 
These Indians are more civilized and advanced than 
those we have seen lately, and speak with horror of the 
"disgusting" war-dance. 

We went into the tents, and shook hands with every 
one who came by, and then we got into carriages to 
drive through the town. Sarnia (the ancient name of 
Guernsey) is a small place, but there was an immense 
crowd in it, people from the country, and a trainful from 
London being there. 

The first arch we passed through had a picture of the 
Queen on one side, and one of D., by a native artist, on 
the other. As we passed under the second, a large 
cheese was lowered into the carriage, as a present. At 
one house a little stand was erected in the garden, cov- 
ered with children, who cheered and waved flags. All 
through the town we received the warmest welcome. 

After the drive we came a couple of miles in the 
steamer to the railway-station, over which some very 
comfortable bedrooms were arranged for us. We dined 
there, and some of the party went to an impromptu dance 
at Sarnia in the evening. 

Friday, 2 1st. — We ventured on to Lake Huron this 
morning in a small steamer, and were punished for our 
temerity. The sofas and chairs danced about the cabin, 
the band rushed to the side, the reporters sat drooping 



AUG. 1874 SALT-WORKS. igj 

upon the stairs, I lay on the floor, and we were all glad 
when at four o'clock we landed at Goderich. It is a 
very prettily-situated town, on a high bluff, and after an 
address we immediately drove round it, and to the house 
of our host, Mr. Cameron ; and about five o'clock, some- 
what giddy, and not at all hungry, we sat down to a 
great luncheon. When it was over, we again took to 
our carriages, and drove to the Town-Hall. It is built 
in the center of the Square, and every street in the town 
leads to it. Here we held a sort of reception, people 
passing by and shaking hands. Then we went on to see 
some salt-works. 

In searching for oil, they found salt, and salt of the 
best quality. Salt water is pumped up into shallow iron 
tanks, which are heated, so that the water evaporates, 
and leaves the whitest, most sparkling salt. Of course 
we had, before leaving these works, to stand over glasses 
of champagne, and D. made a very successful speech to 
the guests assembled there. Back again to our house. 
Dress instantly for dinner, and for the ball which comes 
after. Dinner is my greatest trial on these occasions, 
for I really can't be hungry so often in the day. 

After it we went to the ball. The Curling Rink was 
arranged for the occasion, and was very pretty, and 
there were numbers of nice-looking girls. I left before 
supper, D. directly after, and the boys some time in the 
morning. On our way to the ball we saw some fire- 
works and a candle illumination in the town. 

Saturday, 22d. — We had to breakfast at eight, and 
leaving our kind hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, go on 
our way. An hour after starting we stopped for " five 
minutes " at the railway-station of Mitchell, and heard 
and answered an address. 

The next stopping-place was Stratford, which town 
was promised "two hours." Here there was a guard 



198 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. xii 

and a band and crowds of people, two addresses, and a 
drive sedately round the town with four horses, and a 
large following of carriages. We went into an Epis- 
copalian, a Roman Catholic, a Presbyterian, and a Wes- 
leyan Church, so that no one might be jealous; and 
when we returned to the station an address was pre- 
sented by some Germans. We looked into a refresh- 
ment-room, and left everybody else at lunch when we 
again got into our train. 

In a short time we reached Berlin, a German settle- 
ment. We were met by the usual number of carriages, 
and by some horsemen wearing red, white, and blue 
sashes, who preceded us into the town, with a band play- 
ing. All the houses were decorated, and all the inhab- 
itants were out. The address was presented under an 
awning in front of the Town-Hall, and D. spoke so as 
to make himself heard by a large part of the crowd. I 
think it was a very successful visit. A German glee 
club sang " Die Wacht am Rhein " to us. 

Guelph was our last station, and resting-place for the 
Sunday. Guard of honor, band, two addresses, lunch in 
Town-Hall (four o'clock), our healths drunk. D. went 
for a drive, and I came up to Mr. Leman's house, where 
we stay. In the evening w^e drove to the Town-Hall to 
see the illuminations, and to hold a full-dress sort of 
Drawing-room, which went off very well. On our re- 
turn we had supper ; and this time we were really very 
hungry, for we made mistakes about the hours to-day, 
and did not eat when we might, and then could not 
when we would. I have a most charming bedroom here, 
everything so pretty and nice. The hostess is very 
lively and pleasant, but, not being very well at present, 
her mother does the honors. 

Sunday, 23d. — We went to a large, new, and rather 
pretty church. You can't think how we bless the Sunday! 



AUG. 1874 BRANTFORD. 



199 



Monday^ 24th. — We breakfasted early, as D. had to be 
out at nine to drive over a model farm, and see some 
other Guelph sights. I remained quiet until eleven 
o'clock, when I joined him at the railway-station. We 
had only a short distance to go, but stopped three times 
on the way. 

We first arrived at Preston, a German settlement, 
and heard an address read with great emphasis, and D. 
was presented with a native suit of clothes. Gait came 
next, and our object here was to visit Miss Macpherson's 
Home.* She brings waifs and strays out to Canada, and 
gets them adopted by farmers or placed as servants. 

There was an address at the station, after which we 
drove off with Miss Macpherson to her Home. The 
children were all at the door, and looked very well and 
healthy. An old gentleman took us over his house to 
see a view he was very proud of, and then we got back 
to our train. 

We visited Harrisburg, but were not expected till 
next day, so we only saw a few people. Brantford is our 
real stopping-place, and there we were met by guards 
of honor, both foot and horse, a band, and a very great 
crowd. We drove to a square, where the address was 
presented, and then to a school, where hundreds of 
children were arranged round the lawn. They sang, 
and the mistress read an address ; but D. could not 
make much reply, as we had not known of this visit, 
and had only just time to carry out our programme. 
Half an hour was given us for lunch at the hotel. Our 
rooms are most comfortable, the people who generally 
live in them having furnished them for themselves, and 
having turned out for us. 

Lunch over, we started on new duties. D. turned 

* Vide ante, pp. i, 2. 



200 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xil 

the first sod of a railway ; and I laid a stone of a young 
ladies' college now building, and His Ex. replied to the 
address presented to me in a speech about young ladies, 
which I recommend to all those whom it may concern. 
The Blind Asylum came next, but as all the pupils were 
away for their holidays, it was not very interesting. We 
got home an hour before dressing-time. 

The weather to-day was lovely, and the whole of 
Brantford and the surrounding country had turned out 
in their best clothes ; the houses were gayly decorated, 
and there was an indefatigable band, which played the 
whole day and evening ; some arches were up, and 
everything went off successfully. D. from his speeches 
is daily becoming more known to the people, and they 
receive him better and better as we go on, and that is 
very pleasant. 

The Mayor, Clergyman, President of the Senate, 
Captain of the Guard, etc., dined with us— a party of 
eighteen. 

Tuesday^ 2^ t/i.— Yon lazy people who amuse your- 
selves all day, can scarcely imagine how difficult it is to 
me to find five minutes to write in ; I seize two or three 
moments before our early breakfast, enough in which to 
scribble down dry facts, but I have to leave out many 
little things I might tell you if I were not so hurried, 
and which I long to have a record of myself. 

We were in our carriages by nine o'clock, and, fol- 
lowed by forty-six other vehicles, started to visit the 
Indian Reserve — 52,000 acres — on which the Six Nations 
live. 

Outside the Reserve is the oldest Protestant church 
in Canada, called the Mohawk Church ; in it is a service 
of plate presented to the Mohawk Indians by Queen 
Anne. The tomb of the great Indian warrior, "Captain 
Brant," is in the churchyard. We had thirteen miles to 



AUG. 1874 THE SIX NA TIONS. 201 

drive, and at the entrance to the Reserve we found an 
arch — ''The Six Nations' Welcome " on one side, and on 
the other, " The Six Nations are gratified; come again." 
There was another arch farther on, where we were met 
by Indian bands and Indian people ; most of them in 
European clothes, but a few with feathers, etc. The 
interpreter is a very clever, fine-looking man, and he 
was beautifully dressed in well-made, tight-fitting tunic 
and breeches of deerskin, with silver ornaments; the 
sleeves were short, finished off with fringe, and over the 
rest of the arm there was a long gauntlet of wampum; 
a slouchy black felt hat finished off his costume. He 
looked very magnificent on horseback. 

Close to the " Council House " was a third arch and 
a great crowd of Indians, among w^hom were a number 
of old warriors " got up " in paint, feathers, etc. ; but 
these adornments are no longer natural to them, and are 
only put on in our honor. We waited in the Council 
Chamber — a good room, where several curiosities were 
laid out for inspection — and when all was ready we 
passed into an enormous arbor erected for the occasion, 
which was filled with Indians and other spectators. 

We sat on a dais, and listened to an Indian speech, 
which was translated to His Ex., who replied in English, 
stopping at the end of every sentence for the interpreter 
to put it into Indian. The words of the language are 
very long, and the Indian speech took twice as long to 
deliver as the English one. 

When this was over, the old chiefs shook hands with 
us, and there was a great rush of women, many of whom 
presented me with things. One pinned a little silver 
brooch into my dress. She was a very handsome-look- 
ing person, and wore a large straw hat and a great cloak, 
underneath which one saw cloth gaiters, worked in beads. 

The next ceremony was a war-dance. Seven men 



202 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

took part in it ; but the shrieks which accompanied it 
were more curious than the dancing. The Indians then 
gave us a great luncheon and some excellent tea, and we 
were waited upon by most respectable native girls, who 
have been to school, and who are quite civilized. 

[Here I was interrupted, and for three days it has 
been impossible to write a line, so busy have we been.] 

After leaving the Indians we drove on to the farm 
of Mr. George Brown, editor of the "Globe,"* sena- 
tor, great " champion " of the Grit party, and amateur 
farmer. His place — Bow Park — is so called because the 
river forms a bend there. He goes in for Shorthorns, 
and has 300 of them. I was amused to find that, with 
this number of cows, he has not sufficient milk to make 
butter for his own house, so " exigent " are the calves, 
who expect to have a wet-nurse as well as a mother, 
and who, being very precious, have to be humored and 
pampered in this way. They also go on being nursed 
till they are almost grown up. What surprised me was 
to see a second crop on nearly all his fields. That is 
his method : to cut the green food, and carry it to the 
cows, and so to get second crops from off the whole 
farm. When we had looked at each beautiful but ex- 
pensive animal, we adjourned to a tent, and had dinner. 
Mr. Brown proposed His Ex.'s health very nicely. He 
was one of D.'s opponents during the Pacific Scandal, 
and he said : " There may have been a time when some 
of us may have differed with and found fault with the 
Governor-General's policy ; but now that we have the 
means of understanding and knowing him better," etc., 
etc. Every one laughed, and enjoyed the allusion. The 
drive to Brantford brought us there at eight o'clock, and 
I had at once to dress for a reception at the Town-Hall, 

* The Globe newspaper of Toronto. 



AUG. 1874 WOODSTOCK. 203 

which went off very well. But you see that, as D. says, 
we " work our passage." 

Wednesday^ 26th. — Off at 9 a. m. as usual. We drove 
to Paris, where we were received by the Mayor and the 
people, and drove a mde and a half, at a foot's pace, to 
the railway-station. 

The town is prettily situated, and it takes its name 
from the gypsum in its neighborhood, of which it makes 
plaster of Paris. The station was most beautifully deco- 
rated : at one end of a square was the platform, raised, 
carpeted, covered in with flags and hung with green gar- 
lands and bird-cages, and all the telegraph-posts down 
the railway-sides twined with green and joined with 
garlands. Addresses, of course, were read, and then 
we shook hands with numbers of people ; among others, 
with a woman who came from Clandeboye a year ago, 
and who seemed almost mad with excitement at seeing 
us. She asked to kiss D.'s hand, but he said, " I could 
not allow a lady to kiss my hand." " Then may 1 kiss 
your face ? " D. got out of this embarrassing position 
by saying, " Lady Dufferin does not allow that." Wood- 
stock was our next destination. The address was at 
the station, and we drove out to the place of Mr. Alex- 
ander, a senator, where a great public picnic was given 
in our honor. D. had to reply to an address from the 
county, and to return thanks for his own and for my 
health, which were proposed separately at lunch ; mine 
by a farmer, who did it rather well, referring to William's 
speech on revisiting Holland, when he said that the wel- 
come would have been greater if " Mary had been with 
me." We met here a Southern gentleman, Mr. Fearn, 
whom we had known eleven years ago in England ; and 
the three pretty Misses Alexander. 

Then on to Ingersoll, a small town, well and com- 
pactly built, where we drove through well-decorated 



204 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

Streets, followed by guards, firemen, and people, to the 
School. Ingersoll is a great cheese-making place, and 
there was an arch made of cheeses, the motto on it be- 
ing, " Cheese, the making of Canada." We drove out in 
procession to a cheese-factory, and saw the whole pro- 
cess of converting new milk into cheese in five hours. 
The Sunday milk has to be used for butter,* as for the 
cheese-making it must be quite fresh. 

We always feel glad when we approach our sleeping- 
town, and at 6.30 to-day we got to London. We had 
been here two years before, but the people gave us as 
warm a reception as if this had been our first visit. 

It was almost dark when the address-ceremony was 
over, but the streets were crowded, and we were con- 
ducted by all the people to Major Walker's house. Over 
the gate was a beautiful, illuminated arch. I had a room 
furnished with the prettiest specimens of Canadian maple 
furniture I have ever seen. Mrs. Walker is a German, 
and very nice, and she gave us a quiet dinner, for which 
we were so thankful to her. 

D. had to go out to a "concert," and found that he 
was expected to speak — for the ninth time to-day ! 

Thursday, 2'jth. — We were routed out directly after 
breakfast to go and open, and name, the "Victoria 
Park," and then we proceeded to the Town-Hall, where 
we held a reception and ate lunch. It was given by the 
town, and there were about one thousand people in the 
room. D.'s health was drunk, and he made a very good 
speech in reply, and we got off to the train by 1.30. In 
an hour we arrived at St. Thomas. I need not enter into 
all the usual reception business — arches, guards. We 
had a drive, and saw a wonderful wooden railway-bridge, 
and were taken to another railway-station, where we 
were introduced to heaps of people; and then, just as 
we were getting into our carriage, the Mayor, horror- 



AUG. 1874 SIMCOE. 205 

stricken, exclaimed : " But the lunch ! you must come 
and lunch." D. consented to run in for a moment, and 
got through three speeches. On the return to the car- 
riages Colonel Fletcher says the Mayor was in despair — 
300 or 400 dollars' worth of lunch, and nobody to eat it. 
He had been there fifty-six years, and never received a 
Governor-General before, and said, " I know you will 
never come back." It was quite touching, and I really 
longed to eat some of the lunch. 

Simcoe is a very pretty rural town, which we reached 
in an hour's time. It had made great preparations for 
us — no less than nine arches, and every house streaming 
with flags, and yards and yards of red and blue and 
white stuffs. The Court-House was very prettily ar- 
ranged with a covered platform outside, where the ad- 
dress was read. We went to stay with Mr. and Mrs. 
Campbell, at their charming little country-house, out of 
which we had to turn after dinner to see fireworks and 
illuminations, and to be introduced to people on the 
aforesaid platform. In the night there was a real fire, 
caused, I fear, by these honors to us, and the Freds 
both worked hard till two in the night, carrying buckets, 
and helping to put out the flames. When D. next morn- 
ing expressed his regrets that such an unfortunate acci- 
dent should have occurred during his visit, the Mayor 
politely assured him that it was a very good thing and 
would greatly improve the town. 

Friday^ 28th. — We drove to Waterford, first visiting 
the schools at Simcoe. There, and at Dean's Corner and 
Welland, we stopped for addresses from the counties, 
and at four we got to St. Catherine's. It is near Niag- 
ara, and is celebrated for mineral waters. The town is 
very pretty, houses and trees being mixed everywhere. 

The arches here were of new patterns. One repre- 
sented a ship with the yards manned, and a large boat, 



2o6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xil 

filled with people, hung from the center of it. One was 
made of carriage-wheels, one of chairs ; and across the 
street, in one place, a man was slung, apparently sitting 
in an umbrella. One flag had " Hamilton — Killyleagh 
Castle, County Down — For Ever " written on it. The 
prettiest arches to look at were some with mottoes in 
very large-headed tin nails on red cloth. The Royal 
Arms were also done in this way, and were quite lovely. 

A platform was erected in the middle of the market- 
square, and D. spoke from it. Strings of green and 
flags were hanging from side to side on the street. 

We drove slowly through the crowd to the Schools, 
and on to the hotel. Being very tired, I escaped a din- 
ner that was given by the town ; nor did I go to the fire- 
works, which were really beautiful. D.'s arms were 
done, and great bouquets of colored " candles " finished 
off the display. When he came back, I held a reception 
with him. Now I have had to write all this at once, so 
I have only given you the slightest account of all our do- 
ings and of all the kindness we meet with everywhere ; 
but even the short-hand reporters have been unable to 
keep up with the descriptions they ought to write, so 
you must forgive me. 

Saturday^ 2gth. — D. went to the Welland Canal Works, 
and Lady Harriet, Fred Ward, and I met him in the train 
a short way from St. Catherine's, where we went to see 
a great bridge which Colonel Gzowski has " thrown " 
across Niagara River. 

I told you two years ago that we saw it being built. 
This time we crossed over it, and on our return stopped 
in the middle, and waited to see the way it opens to let 
ships pass. We stood on an immense piece of it resting 
on three piers ; the two ends were detached by machin- 
ery, and we swung on the center pier straight up and 
down the river. It was beautiful to see how easily it 



AUG. 1874 NIAGARA. 207 

worked, and curious to look at our train left standing at 
the edge of a precipice ; then we swung back, and the 
rails and all joined together again. Opposite the Falls 
we got into carriages, and drove down to see them again. 
The second visit lifts Niagara in my estimation above 
all disappointment, and, after great experience in water- 
falls, I can say that none approach it. We saw it in 
beautiful sunshine, with a perfect rainbow joining the 
Falls. When we had quickly admired them, we proceeded 
in our train to the town of Niagara, which is fourteen 
miles away. 

Here we stopped at the door of Mr. Plumb, who is to 
be our host for a couple of nights, and, having had a cup 
of tea, went on to the Court-House, which we found pret- 
tily decorated, and where an address was read and pres- 
entations made. 

Sunday, joth. — We drove to church, and went into 
the Rectory afterwards to see Mrs. McMurray, who is a 
celebrity in her way. There is an account of her in a 
book called Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in 
Canada, by Mrs. Jamieson. She is an Indian half-breed ; 
her father was an Irish gentleman of good family, but 
she spoke nothing but Indian till she was fifteen. Dr. 
McMurray, a missionary, married her. She is now a 
very tall old lady, with a great deal of the Indian peep- 
ing out ; but as she is proud of her nationality, that is as 
well. 

We made a round on our way home, to drive through 
an oak park on the borders of Niagara River. The 
quiet of Mr. Plumb's place is delightful : it is a red brick 
villa, with a Mansard roof, and a large new dining-room 
just added on. He has three sons and three daughters 
at home. He himself is an M. P., American by birth, 
Canadian by adoption. 

We see peaches and grapes ripening in the open air, 



2o8 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. xil 

and the weather and climate in summer are delightful in 
this part of the country. 

Monday, jist — We left Niagara in a steamer, and 
crossed Lake Ontario in the most lovely weather. 

The chief excitement of this trip was caused by my 
maid. She was rushing to the waiting-room to fetch a 
parcel, when the steamer went off without her, and she 
ran about the wharf gesticulating in the most excited 
manner. We put back for her, and got her on board 
on the verge of hysterics. I kept safely away until she 
had had time to calm down. We went to the Queen's 
Hotel at Toronto, and in the evening I took a walk in 
the streets with D. As we were walking along, a man 
looked over his shoulder, and said, " It is quite pleasant 
to see you going quietly like that," and then entered 
into conversation with us respecting our tour, and 
especially about our reception by the Americans. 

D. and Fred went to a theatre after dinner, where D. 
was recognized, and received with cheers. The actors, 
who were in the midst of a tragic part, could not im- 
agine what the noise w^as about. 

To7'onto : Tuesday^ September \st. — D. looked at a re- 
gatta, and lunched with a rifle-club. There he made a 
speech. I did nothing until the evening, when we dined 
with Mr. Rowland. He has a nice house, and, although 
the dinner was rather long, it was very pleasant. There 
was a Southern general, with one leg and one arm, 
who sat by me, and told me his wife was the most dis- 
tinguished woman in the South, as she had seven chil- 
dren under five years old — two pairs of twins among 
them. 

Wednesday, 2d. — D. went again to the regatta, and 
to give away the medals won. In the evening he dined 
at the Club, and made (people say) an exceedingly 
good speech there. The hearers were quite enthusias- 



SEPT. 1874 WHITE V. 209 

tic, and besides continual cheers during the speech, they 
stood up and cheered for fully five minutes after he had 
finished. 

In speaking of our tour, D. said : ^' Never has the head 
of any Government passed through a land so replete 
with contentment in the present, so pregnant of promise 
in the future. From the northern forest border lands, 
whose primeval recesses are being pierced and indented 
by the rough-and-ready cultivation of the free-grant 
settler, to the trim, inclosure and wheat-laden townships 
that smile along the Lakes ; from the orchards of Ni- 
agara to the hunting-grounds of Nipigon ; in the wig- 
wam of the Indian, in the homestead of the farmer, in 
the workshop of the artisan, in the office of his employer — 
everywhere have I learned that the people are satisfied : 
satisfied with their own individual prospects, and with 
the prospects of their country ; satisfied with their 
Government, and with the institutions under which 
they prosper; satisfied to be the subjects of the Queen; 
satisfied to be members of the British Empire." 

Thursday^ jd. — Hitherto we have been hot. To- 
day we were very cold. It rained a great deal, and 
we had our first experience of this sort of tour in wet 
weather. 

When we began our journey again, Whitby was the 
first place we stopped at. Soldiers held a tarpaulin over 
our heads while the address and reply were being ''got 
through,"^ and an umbrella-covered crowd stood around 
us. Then we got into a carriage, and drove to a plat- 
form in front of the High School. The poor children 
had taken great pains with their decorations, and there 
were V. R.'s and D.'s in every pane, and garlands on 
the walls, and children in white standing out in the 
rain. 

Next we went to a college about to be opened. An 



2IO MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

arch at the entrance was very prettily done. Children 
in pink, white, and blue stood all round the top of it, 
forming a lovely decoration — if only the sun had shone 
upon them ! This college is called " Trafalgar Castle," 
and the house was built as a private residence, but had 
to be sold. There was another address, and presenta- 
tions in the drawing-room. 

Bowmanville came next, but the rain poured so 
heavily there that we hurried through three addresses 
as quickly as possible. 

At Port Hope the rain ceased. But as the carriages 
drove up here I conceived a dislike to the horses pro- 
vided for us, and as we went jogging uncomfortably 
along I disliked them more, and D. made me get out and 
return to the station. In this way I missed seeing the 
town, which is very prettily situated, and also missed a 
sad and fatal accident which occurred. In the Fletchers' 
carriage, which was second, there were also some spirited 
horses. Of course there was a great noise, a crowd, 
bands, escort of cavalry, shouting, etc. ; in fact, all the 
things which, combined with fatigue, have made me ter- 
ribly nervous during our various processions through 
the towns. 

The carriages stopped while a school sang " God save 
the Queen"; and just as they were going on, a poor 
woman rushed forward to look, and got between the first 
and second carriages. The horses could not be pulled 
in, and she was knocked down, and killed on the spot. 
I fear she has many children, but the Mayor has not yet 
sent us particulars. 

At five o'clock we reached Coburg, and had an ad- 
dress—or two, I think— at the Town-Hall. A Drawing- 
room afterwards. The rest of the evening, wonderful 
to say, was unemployed. We are in a most comfortable 
hotel. 



SEPT. i874 AN IRON-MINE, 211 

Friday, 4th. — We left the house at 8 a. m., and went 
by train for half an hour to Rice Lake, where we got 
into a steamer. 

Rice Lake is very pretty indeed, and is so named be- 
cause of the wild rice which grows there. We had one 
address on the way, as we passed through the lock at 
Hastings. The reeve there was a most amusing old 
man, and told us he had been waiting fifty years for a 
nobleman to come and see him. 

The final object of our expedition was an iron-mine, 
and we had to go a short way in a train to reach it. 
I did not expect to care the least about it, we have seen 
so many untidy, stony, barren places called mines; but 
this one was really an interesting sight. 

We found ourselves at the top of an enormous hole 
or cavern (these words are too small for it), 140 feet 
deep, and large in proportion, perfectly open, and light 
as day. The men looked like imps as they worked be- 
low, and it was a sort of thing one sees represented, in 
miniature, in a fairy play. The sides v/ere walls of iron ; 
but, alas ! the coal is in the States. 

When we returned to the steamer we found a barge 
tied to its side, covered in with green — a floating arbor 
— m which lunch was laid ; and very glad we were of 
it, as we breakfasted at 7.30, and it was now past 2. 
The managers of the mines, steamers, etc., are Ameri- 
cans, and we were their guests. Colonel Chamblis and 
General Fitzhugh, with their wives (two sisters), were 
our hosts ; they live in the hotel, and are charming 
Southerners. 

There was great anxiety about the -time of our re- 
turn, as a banquet and a ball were to follow. From the 
beginning I had said I would not dine, and I withstood 
very severe sieges upon the subject ; but I was glad I 
had refused when I found we did not reach Coburg till 
15 



212 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xii 

7.30, after eleven hours' outing. We were met by a 
torchlight procession, and as my carriage was drawn by 
men, and not by wild horses, I enjoyed it. The firemen 
presented me with an enormous bouquet as I got out of 
the carriage. 

All the other ladies had to rush home to dress, and 
Lady Harriet and I enjoyed a quiet tea. 

We went down to look at the dinner-table, which was 
beautifully arranged (in the hotel). It was shaped to 
represent the deck of a yacht, and two pillars which 
supported the ceiling of the room acted as masts, the 
rigging being properly arranged from them. There was 
a tiller and a bowsprit — in fact, the idea was completely 
carried out, and in front of D. stood a cake, on which 
was inscribed the word "Foam."* 

D.'s health was drunk, and the company were de- 
lighted with his reply, which brought all the guests to 
their feet. The dance was in the same room, and was 
very pretty and successful. I was at it for a short time. 

Saturday, ^th. — At our posts again at 9 a. m. A ten- 
der farewell to Coburg, and a warm " How do you do ? " 
to Belleville. 

The station was three quarters of a mile from the 
town, and we had a slow march all that way, and all 
through the town to the place where the addresses were 
read. Then out to a great institution for the deaf and 
dumb. The building is on a fine site, and is most airy 
and cheerful. The pupils were collected in a large 
room, and on the wall, in green letters, was written, 
"Accept our silent welcome." Dr. Palmer, the head of 
the institution, brought forward some untaught children 
just arrived, and showed us how he began to teach them 
so as to give them their first ideas. It was very inter- 

* The name of the yacht in which Lord D. went to Iceland. 



SEPT. i874 KINGSTON. 21 3 

esting to see their expressions of dawning comprehen- 
sion. Dr. Palmer then showed us other children in va- 
rious stages. One little girl, who had just returned from 
the holidays, having got a little rusty during her ab- 
sence, made the most curious faces of disgust with her- 
self when she made a mistake, and the most piteous sort 
of sound between a laugh and a cry. 

A deaf-and-dumb teacher next came forward to show 
us the sign-language, and in pantomime told us a story ; 
it was a wonderful piece of acting. He afterwards (in 
the same way) told the story of Christ stilling the storm ; 
and I don't think that the reading of the passage could 
be more impressive than the way in which he conveyed 
the narrative to us by signs. I thought, when he began, 
that, coming after the comic story, it might seem irrev- 
erent ; but it had a most solemn and reverential effect. 
D.'s speech was interpreted into signs as he spoke it, so 
we saw the method well. No word is spelled ; every 
sentence is in signs. They all " did " " God save the 
Queen " in this way before we left. 

This interesting entertainment made us unpunctual 
for the first time during our tour, and we had to run in 
and out of Miss Macpherson's Home, and to cut Napa- 
nee very short indeed, so as to get to Kingston at the 
right time — that is, about six ; and after the address we 
had to drive some way, and go in a steamer to Mr. Cart- 
wright's, where we stay. 

I felt very unready to go back to Kingston after 
dinner to hold a reception ; but it had to be done, and 
through rain and lightning we returned there. 

There were a great many people in a brilliant room, 
and after we left the " young things " danced, but I have 
not yet seen them to hear about it. I have forgotten to 
mention that brother Fred left for England on the morn- 
ing of the 3d. 



214 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xii 

Sunday, 6th. — Kingston is prettily situated, almost at 
the beginning of the Thousand Islands ; and sitting un- 
der the trees here and resting is delightful. 

Mo7iday, yth. — We have had a lovely journey through 
the Thousand Islands, the weather being beautiful. We 
had a comfortable steamer all to ourselves, one full of 
people following us. When we came in sight of Brock- 
ville, a hundred small row-boats came to meet us ; each 
one had a lady in it, and a flag, and it was a very pretty 
sight. W^hen we landed we got into a carriage, and the 
horses immediately stood upon their hind legs ; and as 
continual experiences of the sort have spoiled my 
nerves, I got out, and took a lower place behind two 
lambs ; these, however, had the misfortune to run their 
noses up against a flag, and shied fearfully ; so I was 
really delighted to think that this was my last drive. 

Here D. made a speech, in which he gave some ac- 
count of our reception at different places, and said : 
" During the six weeks my tour has occupied, I believe 
that I have received something like one hundred and 
twenty addresses, every one of which breathed a spirit 
of contentment, loyalty, and kindness. In fact, from 
first to last, no harsh, desponding, or discordant note 
has marred the jubilant congratulations of the nation. 
But the demonstrations w4th which we have been hon- 
ored have not been confined to mere vocal greetings. 
It would be impossible to describe either the beauty or 
the variety of the triumphal emblems which have glit- 
tered on either hand along our way. In addition to the' 
graceful and picturesque decorations of evergreens, flags, 
tapestry, and prismatic canopies of color from window 
to window, with which the towns were gay, we have 
passed under a number of the most ingenious and sug- 
gestive arches. There was an arch of cheeses, an arch 
of salt, an arch of wheels, an arch of hardware, stoves, 



SEPT. 1 8 74 HOME AGAIN AT OTTAWA 215 

and pots and pans, an arch of sofas, chairs, and house- 
hold furniture, an arch of ladders, laden with firemen in 
their picturesque costumes, an arch of carriages, an arch 
of boats ; a Free-trade arch, a Protectionists' arch, an 
arch of children, and last of all an arch — no, not an arch, 
but rather a celestial rainbow — of lovely young ladies I 
Indeed, the heavens themselves dropped fatness, for not 
infrequently a magic cheese or other comestibles would 
descend into our carriage. As for Lady Dufferin, she 
has been nearly smothered beneath the nosegays which 
rained down upon her, for our path has been strewn 
with flowers." 

We had a reception in the Victoria Hall, and then 
returned to the train. We stopped at Smith's Falls, 
where there was a charming little reception, though we 
did not go farther than the station. We also stopped in 
the same way at Carleton Place, and D. made his last 
speech. Two Ministers, M. Letellier and M. Fournier, 
met us at Smith's Falls, and at Ottawa all the Ministers 
came to the station. They are all pleased with the suc- 
cess of the tour, and delighted with the Toronto speech. 

A fine guard of honor met us at Ottawa. The Gov- 
ernor-General's guards looked splendid, and even our 
Colonel was satisfied. 

We gave a sigh of relief when we got home. The 
house looked so nice : a cheerful little fire (merely for 
the look of the thing) in the drawing-room; Fred's 
office grown, and with a fine glass side to it ; my bed- 
room re-papered and new-carpeted, and looking so large 
after all the various rooms and cabins I have slept in ; the 
quiet so charming, and the idea of not having to catch a 
train in the morning, of not having to reply to an ad- 
dress, of not having to visit three or four towns before 
we go to bed again, and of having " got through" with 
flying colors — delightful ! 



2l6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xri 

We asked our faithful reporters and Colonel Cumber- 
land to dinner, and we congratulated each other all the 
time. 

So ended our tour of 1874, which has been very de- 
lightful, though I am so glad of a rest now. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

WINTER AND SPRING, 1874-75. 

Ottar.'a : Tuesday, September i^th. — We opened the 
Dominion Rifle Match, and I fired the first shot, and am 
said to have made a bull's-eye — which some people 
won't believe, in spite of my having received an en- 
graved silver tablet in commemoration of the event ! 

Saturday, October 3d. — D. went out hunting. They 
had a very good drag for about twenty minutes, and 
then a bagged fox was let loose ; but he sat quietly 
looking at the hunt, and refused to stir. The man near 
gave him a kick, upon which he ran at him, and after 
him with open mouth ; and at last he bolted into a wood, 
and so was altogether a failure. 

Saturday, loth. — We have received invitations from 
New York : one to D., from some of the principal men 
there, inviting him to dinner on Monday, 19th; and one 
from Mrs. Wilson, asking if she might issue invitations 
to meet me on the same afternoon. 

Monday^ 12th. — We set off on our journey to New 
York, leaving about ten in the morning and traveling 
all day and all night till we got to our destination the 
next morning. 

Tuesday, 13th. — When we arrived the town looked 
gay and bright — so many creepers and trees, and bits of 
gardens and lawns ; but the day was dull and cold. We 
had visits from some people, made some engagements, 



2i8 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xiii 

and took a good walk down Broadway. Mr. Duncan 
sent us a box for " Madame Angot," to which we went, 
and enjoyed it much. We are at the Brevoort House, 
which is comfortable, but very dear. Our rooms and 
one fire are $18.50 a day, and the servants' board and 
lodging will be ($5) £^\ a day each. 

Dinner is made disagreeable to me by the menu hav- 
ing a price attached to each thing. I do not like, when 
eating my soup, to know that my share of it is 75 cents, 
and that my potato costs 30 cents, and that " some 
more " will go down as another order on the bill. See- 
ing the prices enables one to be economical, if one 
wishes, but it makes that virtue even more disagreeable 
than it usually is. 

Wednesday, 14th. — Mr. Sam Ward called, and I believe 
some engagements are made with him. I went to do a 
little shopping, wanting, among other things, a dark 
parasol. I was asked jQd for a very ordinary black one, 
with a little silver at the handle. 

In the afternoon I set out on a round of visits, and 
found the distances immense. I had to go to 74th 
Street, which is miles away, and D. started to walk there, 
and pitied himself very much. In the evening, having 
had an opera-box given us, we took the Fletchers to see 
" Ruy Bias." The performers were not of the Patti 
order. The house is fine, though too bare-looking. It 
wants some more boxes and more shade. The box we 
had was very open, and had none of the privacy of an 
English one. 

Thursday, iSth. — This evening we went to a theatre 
owned by Mr. Stuart, and were very much amused by a 
thoroughly American piece from Mark Twain's novel of 
The Gilded Age. The house was very full, and the 
people seemed especially pleased at jokes which alluded 
to the corruption of their own Legislature. The heroine 



OCT. i874 NEW YORK. 219 

shoots her false lover with a revolver, and the last act 
caricatured a Yankee court of justice, with its appeal to 
the feelings of the jury, and its verdict of " Not Guilty," 
though the murder was completely proved. The prin- 
cipal actor was excellent — Raymond by name — and the 
woman was good in the tragic parts, but looked much 
too wicked in her innocent days at the beginning of the 
play. 

Mr. Stuart told me he made ^^20,000 a year by his 
theatre. He is getting up Sunday concerts, to " relieve 
the loneliness of the Sabbath evening." 

Ladies go to theatres in bonnets, and were not very 
smart at the opera. 

Friday, i6th. — I saw Sir Edward Thornton, who 
called, and at the appointed time D. and 1 started for 
General Wilson's house in 74th Street. I was in a morn- 
ing gown and bonnet, but found my hostess in a low 
dress ! Every one else, however, was like myself, and 
only those took off their bonnets who (I suppose) looked 
best without them. I had to do duty, standing at the 
door all the time, and shaking hands with every one, for 
two hours. 

Mr. Sam Ward sent me a most lovely bouquet of 
pink and yellow rosebuds for this reception. 

Satwday, lyth. — We drove through Central Park to 
Jerome Park, where the races took place. We were in 
the Jockey Club stand, opposite the Grand Stand, and 
the horses passed twice between the two, so that we saw 
both the beginning and the end of the race very well. 

Sir Edward Thornton dined with D. and me, and we 
took him to a theatre in which we had been given a box. 
We had not been there three minutes before we found it 
was such a piece which we could possibly not stay to 
see. Imagine the history of the temptation and fall of 
man in burlesque upon the stage ! 



220 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xiii 

Sunday, i8th. — We went to an unsatisfactory church 
to-day : little service and much sermon. I walked home, 
and met all the world doing the same. As a crowd, the 
Americans are better dressed than we are, but I do not 
think that they excel our best-dressed people, such as 
appear at Ascot or Goodwood ; and they are not, to my 
mind, so pretty. We dined with Mr. A. T. Stewart, a 
Belfast man, who came out here at sixteen, and must be 
very rich. His palace is entirely of white marble. In 
our honor the dinner was at six instead of at three. A 
silver dish-cover lay before Mr. Stewart ; at each course 
it was removed, the dish of food put in its place, to be 
looked at for a minute, then taken away to be helped, 
and the cover replaced. When it was over we saw the 
.picture gallery and the house. I liked Mrs. Stewart — 
she seemed very simple and natural. We sat in each 
room in turn : a little in the drawing-room, a short time 
in the library, a few minutes in the billiard-room, a little 
while in her bedroom, etc. The latter is very beautiful, 
and I suppose it is slept in, but it does not look as if it 
were. 

There was a lady there who was just like a conven- 
tional Yankee on the stage. She announced, first, that 
she had told her husband she would never put on black 
for him, as she meant to marry again as quick as ever 
she could. Then she informed me in a light and cheer- 
ful manner that she had had convulsions every Sunday 
since January, and that this was the first occasion upon 
which she had not been ill ! She next proceeded to tell 
her domestic troubles, and how she had had to get a 
policeman to turn her cook out of her house. When she 
got so far, a more fashionable person came up, and would 
talk " opera " to me, so I heard no more. 

Monday, igth. — I walked in the streets, and paid a 
number of visits, and in the evening I vvent to the opera 



OCT. i874 DRIVE TO '' SLEEPY HOLLOWr 221 

with Mrs. Stevens. It was " Ruy Bias " again, as Al- 
bani, who had just arrived, was too unwell to sing yet. 
C. Yznaga was the young lady of the party, and there 
was a stream of young men passing through all the time. 
No one seemed to dream of listening ! 

D. was dining with thirty gentlemen at Delmon- 
ico's ; the dmner went off well, and there were no 
speeches. 

Tuesday, 20th. — D. had a breakfast given to him by 
Mr. Sam Ward, which he liked immensely, and in the 
evening a dinner, which he also enjoyed. 

Thursday, 22d. — We started off before nine in the 
morning to a railway-station, where we were met by Mr. 
Dudley Field, and went by train to Tarrytown. 

There a coach-and-four, driven by Mr. Dudley Field, 
Jr., awaited us. We were glad to see the country ; there 
were pretty villas all along, and a capital road. The 
view ought to have been lovely, but a fog hung over the 
Hudson, and hid its opposite bank. We returned by 
road to Irvington, where we saw Washington Irving's 
"Sleepy Hollow," passed in front of Cyrus Field's house 
to see the view, and then stopped at Dudley Field's, Jr., 
for lunch, or rather breakfast, for we had only had a cup 
of tea before starting. Every one was very kind, and we 
enjoyed it very much ; then we drove back to the station 
and returned to New York. 

Friday, 23d. — Another country day. This time we 
took the ferry, and went over to Orange Valley, where 
Mrs. Yznaga lives. She gave us Spanish and Cuban 
dishes; the first, "gumbo," a curious gelatinous soup, 
with oysters, chicken, sassafras-leaves, and red pepper 
in it. Then a dish with rice and tomatoes in the mid- 
dle, grilled chicken and fried bananas round; then 
various sorts of light pastry, and chocolate to drink. 
We returned about four o'clock. Our party consist- 



222 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH xiii 

ed of Miss Stevens, Madame van Hoffman, and Bret 
Harte. 

We dined with Mr. and Mrs. Morton, and met Mr. 
and Mrs. Duncan, Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Robinson, 
General Taylor, and Consuela Yznaga. We dined at 
6.30, as we were all going on to the opera. They gave 
us a very nice, pretty dinner, and we only missed the 
first act of " Lucia," and enjoyed the rest very much. 
Albani, who sang for the second time here, was very 
well received, and we are proud of her as a Canadian. 

Saturday^ 24th. — We went with Mr. Duncan to see 
Mr. Belmont's picture-gallery, and on to the house of a 
gentleman who is rich, and collects pictures. D. then 
went with Mr. Bierstadt to see his pictures, and after- 
wards made a round of galleries. 

In the evening we saw " The Romance of a Poor 
Young Man " acted by Mr. Montague, whom the young 
ladies here call "a lovely man." 

Sunday, 2Sth. — D. had to leave for Washington before 
nine o'clock, so we dined quietly with some very nice 
people. It amused me to observe in what way their 
dinner differed from one we should give. Their house 
is handsome and comfortable, and they are very rich ; 
but their table was large for the number of people, and 
had absolutely nothing on it — not a bonbon, a flower, a bit 
of china, a candle, a bit of food — so it looked very bare. 
We had oysters, soup, fish, an e?itre'e, cold beef — as a 
compliment to the Sunday — and a hot pudding. The 
cloth was then taken off, and we sat at a mahogany des- 
sert-table once again. 

Monday, 26th. — D. went to Washington, where he ar- 
rived at six in the morning, and was just settling down 
to a quiet sleep in his train-bed, when he heard Sir E. 
Thornton had come to meet him, so he had to jump up 
at once. Sir Edward gave him a cup of tea, and took 



OCT. 1874 THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 223 

him a walk, then breakfast, and then a drive to all the 
sights. He saw the President, who was very civil and 
called upon him, and Mr. Fish, and then started for Balti- 
more, where he slept. 

Tuesday, 2'jth. — D. returned, and when he had had a 
cup of tea we paid a few visits in different directions; 
after dinner he attended a political meeting at Tammany 
Hall, which interested him. 

Wednesday, 28th. — In the morning Mr. Cyrus Field 
came for us, and we went to see the Normal School. We 
sat upon a platform with the teachers, and at nine pre- 
cisely music struck up, and 1,200 girls marched in, and 
in about two and a half minutes were seated. Of course, 
this can only be done by the most perfect arrangement, 
and is quite a military manoeuvre. A chapter in the 
Bible was read, and a hymn sung. The President got 
up and said: ''Young ladies, I present to you the Earl 
of Dufferin, Governor-General of Canada, and his Lady " ; 
and D. said a few appropriate words. The President 
then said: "The young ladies of the First Section will 
repeat their quotations"; and one after another a num- 
ber of girls got up, and repeated something they had 
learned. This is a voluntary exercise, and is intended to 
give them confidence in speaking before a number of 
people. These girls are all being trained as teachers. 
After this a chord was struck, and they all rose, and to 
music marched to the various class-rooms. We followed 
to the exercise-rooms, where we saw a hundred or so do- 
ii^g gymnastics. Then we peeped in at chemistry, geol- 
ogy, drawing, and Latin classes. 

Our next visit was to a common school, and the 
children's department was very interesting. There were 
1,150 collected in one room, and they marched in at a 
much slower pace than their elders, and with an air of 
solemnity that was most amusing. The second half of 



224 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xiii 

the room had the seats raised toward the back, and a 
view was painted on the wall which finished the scene 
admirably. At a signal from the mistress the 1,150 
heads went up in the air ; at another, there was clapping 
of hands ; at another, singing ; and so on. We also saw 
the big boys and big girls. There are 2,500 children at 
school in that one building. 

Friday^ joth. — D. dined with Mr. Stoughton last 
night, and I went about eight o'clock to fetch him. 
The landlord of our hotel went with me, and sat by me 
in the carriage, and then I realized how wanting I had 
been in not shaking hands with him when I first arrived 
at the hotel. 

We traveled all night, and though the beds them- 
selves were comfortable, the night was not. The engine 
kept up a perpetual shriek, and the train went more like 
an animal than a machine — in jerks and with varieties 
of speed. 

When we reached our destination — the Revere House, 
Boston — I rested, but D. put off his nap, and took a 
walk. 

Later we drove in an open carriage through the town. 
The streets are narrower than those of New York, but 
appear to be very busy and full of people and vehicles. 
There are some handsome buildings, and the " resi- 
dences " seem very nice. There are pretty public gar- 
dens, and a common, on which a great many good 
houses look out. AVe visited Bunker's Hill and Harvard 
College. The Memorial Hall, built to the memory of 
the former students who were killed in the War, is 
where the young men dine, and is very handsome. We 
saw one student's private room, plain and comfortable. 
Then we visited Mr. Longfellow, and found him in a 
nice old-fashioned house, where Washington was living 
when he took command of the American Army. The 



OCT. 1874 BOSTON, 225 

poet's study is a plainly-furnished room, with a large 
orange-tree standing in one window. He is a most 
charming and lovable old man; he gave me one of 
his poems as a souvenir of my visit, and he invited 
D. to dine at the Club dinner to-morrow, so we re- 
main for that. Just as we were going out of the house 
his daughter Alice appeared, and he introduced her 
to us. 

We have our meals in the American fashion here, 
in a public room : there are numbers of small tables 
for ten people ; sometimes we are alone, sometimes 
there are other people at our table ; at every meal the 
first ceremony always is to place a glass of iced water 
before us. 

In the evening we went to the Boston Theatre — a 
fine one, with spacious entrance-hall. The theatre itself, 
very large and beautifully decorated, finer than any we 
saw in New York. The piece was " Belle Lamar," a 
story of the War, and was very interesting and well put 
upon the stage. Here they have a farce both before 
and after, while in New York there was only one piece 
given in each theatre. 

Saturday^ jist. — We drove this morning to Dor- 
chester Heights, and to see some more of the city, and 
at 2.30 D. went to his Club dinner. He has been very 
lucky to be here for it. It takes place only once a 
month, and he met at it Longfellow, Lowell, Emerson, 
Dana, Dana, Jr., Holmes (the Autocrat of the Breakfast 
Table), etc. They have all promised him books as a 
remembrance of the occasion. 

I took a walk in the town, and in the evening D. and 
I went to the Museum Theatre. It is not so fine as the 
Boston, but it is uncommon in one way ; you pass through 
a museum to it — statues, pictures, stuffed animals, etc. 
The play was " Arkwright's Wife," by Tom Taylor — very 



226 MV CANA DIA N JO URN A L. ch. xiii 

good indeed. The heroine was pretty and graceful, and 
all the parts were well filled. 

Sunday, November 1st. — We tried two churches before 
we could get a seat, and the third we attempted to enter 
turned out to be a Universalist church. It is one of the 
Old-English chapels, and the service was our Liturgy- 
very slightly altered, and a sermon upon All Saints' Day. 
This service is intended to suit everybody, whatever their 
opinions may be ; and in many places in Canada where 
they can not support a number of different sects, they 
have these Universalist churches. 

We drove afterwards, and saw a great deal of the 
neighborhood. The villas are very pretty, and the coun- 
try is English-looking. 

We had to dine at four — American system! How- 
ever, it will enable us to go to bed early, and prepare for 
thirteen hours' railway to-morrow to Montreal. 

Monday, 2d. — The day passed much more pleasantly 
than I expected, and we really enjoyed the journey. 
We had a very comfortable compartment to ourselves, 
passed through beautiful scenery (seeing the Green 
Mountains and several rivers), and had two most excel- 
lent meals. Generally they only wait ten minutes for 
dinner, but, thanks to our " high office," they gave us 
half an hour. 

Ottawa : Saturday, yth. — I have had nothing particu- 
lar to relate since our return here, but to-day I took Mr. 
Hepworth Dixon, who is staying with us, his son, and 
Lady Harriet, to the steeplechases. 

Four horses started in each race; the first was for 
the Governor-General's Challenge Cup, and the only fall 
was that of a man of fifty-seven — rather old to do 
"jockey." His horse swerved at a pole, and the rider 
lay still for several seconds on the ground and fright- 
ened us ; but he got up and walked about all the rest of 



NOV. 1874 OTTA WA, 227 

the day. We saw the same horse ridden by a jockey 
proper in the last race ; he swerved at the same place 
every time he came round to it, and so lost the race. 
There was constant variety in this race, for the order of 
the running changed every few seconds. 

Wednesday^ i8th. — Colonel Fletcher got his recall from 
England to-day, and I fear they will all have to leave in 
February. Lady Harriet will be a terrible loss to me; 
she has been my constant companion, and was always 
ready to do everything and to enjoy everything with me; 
the most sympathetic person I have ever met. We had 
many things in common, and I can not bear to think of 
her departure yet. 

Saturday^ 21st. — The new General,* Selby Smyth, and 
his A. D. C, Mr. Miles Stapleton, came to stay till Mon- 
day. The A. D. C. looks very ^' jolly," and will be an 
acquisition to Fred, I think. But the really exciting 
question is, " Does he look as if he would dance the 
Boston ? " which all the young ladies have been prac- 
tising. 

Colonel Barnard and a very big and pleasant Chief 
Justice — Begbie, from British Columbia — came to din- 
ner. The latter has been out there sixteen years, and 
has, I believe, succeeded in making the law respected by 
Indians and other "wild men." He gave us an amus- 
ing description of the difficulties which occur from the 
Indian plan of families and property descending in the 
female line. 

Saturday, 28th. — A heavy snowstorm during the night 
and nearly all day. The children, with the help of Colo- 
nel Fletcher, Mr. Dixon, and a ladder, have erected in 
front of my window an enormous and hideous snow- 
man, who will remain an eyesore to me the whole winter, 



* The General commanding the Canadian Militia. 
16 



228 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xin 

unless some kind friend assassinates him. I was threat- 
ened with a wife for him, but I am in hopes that a judi- 
cious suggestion I have made as to the appropriateness 
of making the pair stand as spectators over the Skating 
Rink may induce the builders to model the statues there. 
The creature has a carrot nose, and lips of the same 
material, coals for eyes, and an old hat on his head ; he 
is eight feet high, and stands right in my way, hiding my 
view of the Parliament Buildings. In the evening he 
was illuminated with red and green fire. 

Tuesday^ December i^th. — There was some very good 
tobogganing to-day. The new slide is most exciting, 
for, the natural hill not being considered sufficiently 
steep, a great addition has been made to it. A long 
flight of stairs now leads to the top of a high wooden 
slide, and, as this is almost perpendicular, the toboggan 
starts at a rapid rate down it — and its occupant has 
both the length and the excitement of his slide greatly 
increased. To-day the wooden part of the slide is a 
sheet of ice, so the toboggans rush down it at a tre- 
mendous pace. 

Friday^ i8th. — Gwen and Katie * arrived about five 
o'clock, looking extremely well. 

Christmas Day, Friday, 2^th. — An ideal Christmas Day 
— the weather lovely, twenty degrees of frost, and a 
bright sun. The children had received presents from 
their governess and nurses in the morning, and were in 
great excitement. After breakfast they came down, and 
we introduced Nelly and Hermie to a dolls' house, which 
delighted them. Hallie had dressed a number of inhab- 
itants for it, and it is a charming toy. 

In the afternoon, every one, except me, went out and 
had a very pleasant afternoon skating and tobogganing. 

* My sisters. 



JAN. 1875 CHILDREN'S TABLE A UX. 



229 



I found plenty of work at the Christmas-tree, which was 
ready directly after tea. The only contretemps of the day 
happened just as the children were jumping with excite- 
ment to go in to see it. The gas went out, and we had 
to wait more than half an hour for it to recover. In the 
mean time we got up a dwarf, which amused them much. 
The tree was next lighted up, and was greeted with 
cheers. The fifteen children — the eldest eleven years 
old — were all perfectly delighted, and were much too 
pleased with the treasures they had received to feel in- 
clined to play games afterwards. They simply sat on 
the floor absorbed in their new possessions, with sighs of 
perfect happiness. The youngest of the party was one 
of the happiest ; she ran about the floor pulling a sheep 
after her, and looked such a pretty little dear. The big 
people also went away laden. We were fourteen at din- 
ner, with governesses, secretaries, etc., and in the even- 
ing we played games. 

Friday^ Ja^tuary i, iSj^. — We were more or less busy 
in the morning making the arrangements for the chil- 
dren's play, and from 2.30 to 4.30 His Ex. and I were 
"at home" to receive visitors. We had 211 gentlemen, 
who said "How do you do ?" had a glass of wine or a 
cup of tea, and passed away. 

We refreshed ourselves with a little tea when the re- 
ception was over, and then I dressed for the evening, 
and helped to paint the actors. 

The play took place upon a small stage erected in 
the ante-room to the ball-room. Mr. Dixon wrote the 
piece and painted the scenes. "Pussy-cat, Mew-mew" 
was the name of the play, and it went off very well. 
Fred was excellent in the part he undertook, and was 
well made-up, with red stockings, red knickerbockers, a 
brown blouse, and red wig. Fred Ward was the master- 
magician, in a dressing-gown covered with mysterious 



230 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiii 

signs. Nelly looked very pretty in white tarlatan and 
gold, a crown on her head, and a wand in her hand. 
Archie was a prince in green and silver ; Terence, the 
" Man in the Moon," in red. Hermie, a pink fairy ; and 
all the others in the same style of costume in different 
colors. Terence's first appearance was through the full 
moon, and he did his part very well. All have very 
much improved in acting since last year. 

The tableaux were very pretty. I had to be behind 
the scenes, and so only managed to see one myself, which 
I will describe to you. 

The foreground of the stage was painted in dark 
colors to represent a cavern, and the back opened, dis- 
playing a brilliant grotto in gold and silver and red. 
Hermie stood on a raised rock of gold at the top ; be- 
neath her sat three little ones, with baby in the center, 
who was enchanted with her position. Terence lay at 
their feet in his red moon-costume, and grouped beneath 
were Archie, Nelly, Maud, Edward, etc. They were 
lighted up with various colored fires. Baby amused us 
so by giving three cheers in the middle of the perform- 
ance. The other tableaux were scenes in a tournament : 
the Encounter, the Result, and the Coronation of the 
Victor. 

Friday^ 22d. — D. played the final game of the curling- 
match with Colonel Fletcher, and won a cup presented 
by me. 

We had a large children's party, and we repeated the 
play. Directly it was over we had tea for sixty-five 
children, who seemed very hungry and very happy, and 
after that dancing and a few games till eight, when the 
little people left. 

Monday, 2jth. — D. started for Montreal. I copy the 
following out of his letters : 

" We had not left Ottawa ten minutes before the 



FEB. 1875 CURLING. 231 

train came to a stand, and all our sweepers had to jump 
out. By their exertions we got on another few hundred 
yards, when a second stop occurred. 

"This kind of business went on for nearly an hour, 
at the end of which time the Parliament Buildings were 
still in sight. After a little, however, matters improved." 

"• On arriving at Montreal we found our rooms look- 
ing very cheerful, and a nice little supper ready, for 
which those marvelous ladies* were again quite ready. 

" Tuesday, 26th. — We started at eleven o'clock for the 
Rink ; found the Bethunes, Miss Campbell, Mr. Maxwell, 
and a couple of nice Englishmen. With these playfel- 
lows we passed a couple of hours very pleasantly, and 
executed a brilliant lancers. 

"At 2.30 the two Freds and I and Nowell went to 
have a game of curling, preparatory to a match to-mor- 
row with four of the oldest members of the Montreal 
Club, whose united ages, I believe, are to amount to 
something like 350 years. We did not play well, and 
got a bad beating, though we ended by winning the two 
last ends, the latter of which was an end of four. The 
girls went out walking with Colonel Fletcher. Maxwell 
and the other two young men I have mentioned dined 
with us, and at ten we went to the ball. It was a nice, 
large square room, with beautiful music, excellent par- 
queterie, and very jolly. Gwen looked very well, and I 
liked her dress. As you may suppose, she got lots of 
partners." 

Mo7ida}\ Februa7y ist. — The great event of the day 
was the opening of the new theatre here — the first one 
at Ottawa. The house is really very nice, and the state 
box a very comfortable and convenient one. 

Tuesday, gth. — A great curling-match was played be- 

* My sisters. 



232 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xui 

tween our club and the Renfrew Club, for a medal pre- 
sented by the Caledonian Club. Four of ours had to go 
to Renfrew, and four of their men came here ; so the 
winner could not be announced till the two games were 
over. The two Freds and Messrs. Baker and Dixon 
went early to Renfrew, and D., Nowell, Colonel Fletcher, 
and Robertson were the team who remained here. The 
game began at ten, and they had to play for three hours. 
The V. R. C. C. were at one time five behindhand, but 
they finally won by one ; and an hour later we heard by 
telegraph that at Renfrew they were ties, so we won the 
medal by the one shot. This is the first public match 
our club has played. The boys got home to dinner, and 
we talked curling and played whist all the evening. 

Friday^ I2th. — We had a large dinner-party to-day — 
married Ministers and their wives. A great division 
was expected in the House ; so they went off there after 
dinner, and they amnestied Riel during the night. 

Wednesday, March jist. — My baby-boy * is now five 
weeks old, so I was able to be present at the second 
representation of the '' Maire of St. Brieux," of which 
the first performance had been extremely successful. 
It is an operetta, written by Mr. Dixon, whom you know 
well by name, and composed by Mr. Mills, the organist 
in Ottawa. The music is very pretty and the whole 
play excellent ; it is very interesting to bring out a new 
thing on one's own stage, and even the author and com- 
poser must have been satisfied with the actors and singers 
who played in it. The prima donr^a, Mrs. Anglin, both 
sang and looked charmingly, and the Maire himself, Mr. 
Kimber, was quite perfect. 

I asked the actors to keep on their costumes during 
the evening, and they made the party look very gay and 

* Lord Frederick Blackwood, born 26th February, 1875. 



MAY 1 875 HOME ON SHORT LEAVE, 233 

pretty, the girls' colored petticoats and high, white caps, 
and the men's bright-colored clothes being very effective. 

Wednesday^ April 21st. — There was a severe frost last 
night, so we determined to have some skating on the 
Curling Rink — rather late in the year for my first skate ! 

Sunday^ 2jth. — Baby was christened by the name of 
Frederick Temple. 

Tuesday, May nth. — We leave for three months' 
holiday in England, and had quite a sad parting with 
the seven little ones. General Selby Smyth met us, 
with his A. D. C, at the gate, and at the station there 
was a crowd of people to wish us adieu and bon voyage. 
The day was lovely. At Montreal we were met by Gen- 
eral O'Grady Haly,* who is to be Administrator during 
D.'s absence. 

Wednesday y 12th. — A torrent of rain falling all day. 
We left Montreal early, and spent ten hours in the train, 
reaching Quebec about six in the evening. 

Friday, 14th. — A very stormy night, slates blowing 
about, and we go on board to-morrow ! 

Saturday, i^th. — Such a dreadful morning : snow, 
rain, and cold wind of the bitterest description. D. sent 
to beg the Mayor not to bring the steamers out to ac- 
company ours, as it was impossible for any ladies to go 
in them. The Lieutenant-Governor came for us, and 
drove us down to the Polynesian. One steamer did go 
with us for a little way with a band on board. They 
played " He is a Jolly Good Fellow " and " God save 
the Queen," and cheered us when we parted. This was 
about I p. M. 

At three we stopped suddenly, and on sending out 
to inquire we found we were ashore! We got off soon, 



* The General Officer commanding H. M. Forces in British North 
America. 



234 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xiii 

but at four we were stuck again ; this time we were told 
we could not get off till high- water, at two o'clock in 
the night. We have a very comfortable sitting-room on 
deck, with a warm-water stove in it, and next to it the 
smoking-room, in which we have our meals privately. 
Our sleeping-berths are comfortable. 

Sunday^ i6th. — Awoke to find ourselves stuck. No 
hopes of getting off till 4 p. m., at high-water. One of 
the boats went out to do something or other, and could 
not get back ; another was sent after her, and now both, 
with a large proportion of our crew, are gone. I sup- 
pose when we do get off we shall go after them. 

Tuesday^ i8th. — In the afternoon we sighted a field 
of ice, which looked very pretty in the rosy evening. 
Some small pieces floated round the vessel, and during 
the night we got into quite a thick part of it, and had 
to stop. 

Wednesday^ ipth. — Loose and large pieces of ice all 
round us — some, dirty brown-looking lumps, others 
white, and all rough and ragged. A fog over all, a wet 
deck, a ship stopped on its voyage — such are the pleas- 
ures we find on this May day. About five o'clock we 
began to move slowly through the ice. It was a fasci- 
nating employment, that of watching the great " Jugger- 
naut " we were in cutting and pushing its way through 
this field of ice. Sometimes we went through great 
pieces, just as a knife cuts through a wedding-cake, 
sometimes the piece resisted us to a certain degree, and 
we had to push it slowly aside before we could get on, 

Thursday, 20th. — I awoke about five in the morn, 
hearing the vessel crunch up against the ice ; at ten we 
were free, but in a fog ; the steam-horn blew all day. 

As soon as we got far enough south we turned the 
corner of the ice, and went on our way rejoicing, in spite 
of a great deal of fog, and fog-whistling. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

AN UNEVENTFUL SEASON 1875-76. 

Friday^ October 22d. — I sent you a post-card from 
Londonderry telling you that we were off on our return 
to Canada after our holiday at home. We got on board 
on a very disagreeable evening, but we thought the wind 
was lessening, and that we should probably have a calm 
passage. We talked of seeing land on Thursday, and 
made up our minds to reach Quebec at the latest by 
Tuesday. Thursday, however, found us very near Ire- 
land, in a regular storm, which lasted two days and two 
nights, during which time we scarcely made any progress. 
In twenty-four hours we only made forty knots, and the 
Captain said he had never been so delayed in his life be- 
fore. We were obliged to remain below, and I can't tell 
you how dreary it was, rolling perpetually for two days 
and two nights in one's berth. Later on we saw some 
beautiful icebergs ; and now that I have seen field-ice, 
icebergs, fog, and a storm, I do not wish for any new 
experience of life at sea. We got to Quebec this morn- 
ing, and found the weather beautiful, but very cold. 
One steamer, which left the Monday before us, arrived 
yesterday with her bulwarks washed away, and having 
lost three boats. Our Prussian received no damage ; she 
is such a good sea-boat. 

The General, Lieutenant-Governor, etc., came to 
meet us, and our landing at this lovely place was very 



236 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

pretty. It is so gay and sunny, and the Canadian air 
does feel so exhilarating. The children sent letters of 
welcome to meet us at Father Point, begging us not to 
stop on the way anywhere. We go on by the boat this 
afternoon, and reach Ottawa at four to-morrow. 

Tuesday^ 26th. — Colonel and Mrs. Littleton,* who 
have come out with us in place of Colonel and Lady 
Harriet Fletcher, reached Ottawa yesterday, and are at 
the hotel there. They came to lunch, and to see their 
house. 

Thursday^ 28th. — Lawn-tennis, and a drive. The Lit- 
tleton children came to tea, and quite won the hearts of 
mine. They expected to see " the King of Canada " in 
a crown and train, and still think that at some future 
time he will appear in full dress. 

Wednesday, November jd. — The new tennis-court has 
been begun. It is to serve the purpose of a supper-room 
as well. 

Saturday, 13th. — We are proposing later in the season 
to give a fancy ball, and are already deep in millinery- 
talk. 

Thursday, i8th. — We skated for the first time this 
year, on the Rideau, where we had swept a place. 

We had a great dinner to-night for the Judges of the 
Supreme Court (sixty-two guests), and had a large T- 
shaped table spread in the ball-room for it. 

Monday, December 6th. — Lovely day, and the skating- 
ice simply perfect. We have had a man from Montreal 
to teach us to flood it properly, and the result of his in- 
structions is excellent. 

Thursday, gth. — There was great excitement at receiv- 
ing a box directed to me from " the Queen." It con- 
tained a pretty doll, dressed in the smartest blue velvet 

* Lord Hatherton, G. M. G., late Colonel, Grenadier Guards. 



DEC. 1875 SKA TING. 



237 



gown, for Victoria. She was delighted, and carried it 
about all the evening. 

Saturday^ nth. — We asked Miss Kingsford, Miss Pat- 
rick, and some of the other good skaters to come to-day, 
that we might practice our figures. This was a real, 
true skating-party, with no temptations to toboggan or 
dance, and it was very pleasant. We worked away at 
roses, double roses, thistles, lilies, snails, etc., and then 
we came in, had some tea, and talked about — the fancy 
ball. 

Monday., 20th. — On Saturday we had the same people 
as last week, but as the thermometer was about 20° be- 
low zero, skating was a doubtful pleasure. Sunday was 
still colder, and to-day the weather is no milder. 

Tuesday^ 2ZJ/.— During the afternoon a sudden and 
comfortable change in the weather. They say there was 
a jump of 76° in the twelve hours; and certainly it be- 
came very warm, and a complete thaw set in after a very 
"cold snap " indeed. 

Friday., 24th. — The snow is quite off the tobogganing- 
slide, and the Skating Rink is spoiled for the present ; but 
it has begun to freeze again. I was very busy all da.y 
with Mrs. Hall, arranging the Christmas-tree. At five 
o'clock Gwen and Russell* and Fred Ward arrived. 
They met at Prescott. Gwen looks extremely well. 
During the severe frost in Montreal her hot-water pipes 
burst, and she was nearly frozen. 

Saturday, 2^th. — A wet Christmas Day in Canada ! We 
went to church under umbrellas ! However, it cleared 
up afterwards, but was at no time a nice day. At five 
o'clock the Littleton children came, and after tea the 
tree in the ball-room was lighted up, and the shrieking 
" brats " were admitted to it. The tree was very suc- 

* My sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Stephenson. 



238 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

cessful, and really looked very pretty. It was placed 
just in front of the Throne. Its natural eccentricities of 
shape were concealed by ropes of many-colored crackers 
and glass balls, and it was covered with small presents, 
and surrounded on the floor by larger ones, the whole 
being bounded by a paling of gayly-ornamented curling- 
brooms. On the floor were also to be seen four tobog- 
gans, presented by His Ex. to different people — one very 
lovely one for me. When the first excitement had a lit- 
tle subsided we began to take the things off the tree, and 
I am happy to say the children appeared well pleased 
with their presents. 

Wednesday^ 2pth. — There was a great deal of curling 
to-day : in the morning a match between D., F. Ward 
and Russell Stephenson, Mackenzie, Fred and Colonel 
Littleton. We also drew for the match for my cup. 

I anticipate great amusement in seeing Mrs. Littleton 
and Gwen watching their husbands play : they are both 
very excited over a game, and both offer much advice, 
and groan and triumph alternately — the ladies, I mean. 

Saturday J New Years Day, i8y6. — We received our 
visitors between twelve and two to-day — 225 gentlemen. 

The day was very mild : rain in the afternoon, and 
no curling or skating — most sad and un-Canadian ; but 
at any rate the weather was decidedly interesting to talk 
about. 

My children had invited all the work-people and their 
children to come to tea and to see their play, " Little 
Nobody," written by Mr. Dixon. He has taken great 
pains with the scenery, which is quite beyond that of a 
mere amateur stage. There are a street and a castle, with 
a background of sea and sky, followed by a magnificent 
transformation scene, in which a silver-dressed fairy 
stands behind a star of many colors, the rays of which 
gradually part and open, leaving her supported on each 



Jan. 1876 MARRIED VS. BACHELORS. 239 

side by minor fairies of the female sex, while two male 
fairies sit in cars underneath. This is the last scene of 
the play, and while this gorgeous sight is in the back- 
ground the active performers in the piece are grouped in 
the front. We had an appreciative audience, filling the 
room. 

Tuesday^ nth. — A very important curling-match took 
place in our rink, between the four " Fredericks " of the 
Viceregal Club and the four " Jameses " of the Ottawa 
Club. Alas ! the Jameses won by one. There were to- 
bogganing and skating after lunch. A lovely day — 
about zero. 

Wednesday, I2t/i.— The married men of the Curling 
Club had a match against the single ones. The best 
bachelor was absent, and " little Campbell " (who is very 
short-sighted, and never plays) took his place. He was 
a great element of amusement ; for, in the first place, he 
made by accident two most beautiful shots, then he fell 
in front of a stone while sweeping, etc. The bachelors 
were beaten by 18 to 2. There was much tobogganing 
in the afternoon, and a frightful upset, Fred and Colonel 
Littleton coming in with their noses scraped by the icy 
snow upon which they fell. 

Thursday, 13th. — The bachelors determined to try 
and regain their laurels to-day, and marched in proces- 
sion to the Rink. They were dressed in white blanket- 
coats, wore white kid gloves, and orange-flowers in their 
button-holes. Their fate was, however, as sad as yes- 
terday. 

Monday, lyth. — We had a large children's party in the 
evening. When the fifty-five children and their mam- 
mas had arrived and seated themselves, " Little Nobody " 
began, and went most successfully till near the end, 
when in the middle of the last beautiful fairy transfor- 
mation scene there was a fire, which might have been 



240 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

very bad. The man attending to a lime-light held a 
candle under an indiarubber pipe containing gas. The 
pipe melted, and the gas, of course, burned furiously; 
there were people rushing about, water flowing, and a 
great scrimmage going on, during which the impertur- 
bable queen of the fairies continued her speech. Dark- 
ness ensued, and then we lifted the curtain and threw a 
rose-light over the scene ; but of course the grand effect 
was spoiled, and the author and the carpenter burned 
their hands a little. 

Wednesday, ipth. — We begin to feel that the fancy 
ball is near, and are making arrangements. I have been 
writing out the programmes. There are to be singing- 
quadrilles, valses, and lancers. The dancers have to 
learn and to rehearse their parts, and we expect this will 
be a very pretty feature in the ball. 

Tuesday, 2^th. — Spent a great deal of time over a 
most troublesome business — that of getting 150 parts 
copied for the singing quadrille ; that is, thirty copies 
of each figure. You may imagine the confusion and the 
difficulty of arranging all these separate bits of paper. 
Fred Ward does the hardest part ; but I help — and dream 
of it. 

Saturday, 2gth. — The thaw was so decided this morn- 
ing that we gave up all idea of outdoor amusements. 
At two we rehearsed " School," which is to be our next 
play, and as soon as the people had collected afterwards 
we danced. I got up a tertipete, and made the elderly 
people join. I took a judge for my partner, who was 
very much astonished to find how hard he had to work, 
and received, I fear, a shock when he found that, hav- 
ing conducted him down to the bottom of our long room, 
I intended to take him up again at the same pace. After 
this came more waltzes, and a cotillon, which wound up 
the day. 



MARCH 1876 OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. 24 1 

Sunday, 30th. — The Comte Louis de Turenne arrived, 
and we took him a snow-shoe walk. 

Monday, 31st. — We all — D. and I. the Littletons, the 
Freds, and the Comte de Turenne — started in a private 
car for Montreal. 

Wednesday, March ist. — A very stormy, snowy day, 
extremely cold, and no admittance to the Rink. In the 
evening there was a fancy dress ball on the ice. The 
Count, the Littletons, and those who had not seen this 
before, were delighted with the sight. It was bitterly 
cold, and I was glad to skate a little in a domino. I 
danced a set of lancers and some other things with D. 

Thursday, 2d. — Some good skating in the morning, 
then a grand lunch at Mr. Ryan's, which our three 
Fredericks had to leave early, as they were going to 
join the fourth Frederick in playing against four Jameses. 
We meant to go and see the game, but when we arrived 
at the door of the Rink we met our party coming out, 
victorious and radiant. 

Saturday, 4th. — We left Montreal by the morning 
train, taking with us the Comte de Turenne and Gawen.* 

Tuesday, yth. — The Marquis and Marquise de Bassano 
arrived this afternoon, just as we were finishing a labori- 
ous rehearsal of part of " School." 

Wednesday, 8th. — A cold, windy day; however, we 
went out and skated. The Comte de Turenne is work- 
ing hard at the outside edge. The Cabinet dinner took 
place to-night, and the new Ministers came for the first 
time, in their uniforms. The dinner was in the ball- 
room, and we had a band to play during the evening. 

Thursday, pth. — In the morning we had some skating 
and curling; the day was beautiful and mild. After 
lunch we went to the opening of Parliament. 

* My brother, Colonel Gawen R. Hamilton. 



242 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

On our return the energetic gentlemen had a great 
afternoon's tobogganing, but Madame de Bassano and I 
rested, as we had to dine at seven, and be present at the 
Drawing-room afterwards. I never saw so many people 
at one before, and I must have made an enormous num- 
ber of courtesies. The boys went to a dance after the 
Drawing-room. 

Friday^ loth. — A complete thaw with pouring rain. 
The Bassanos left ; and in the afternoon we rehearsed 
the first two acts of " School " — very successfully. Mr. 
Kimber and Miss Fellowes remained for dinner, and in 
the evening the other twenty-eight singers arrived, 
and we rehearsed the singing quadrilles, lancers, and 
waltz. The lancers went beautifully, and the waltz is 
very pretty. 

Saturday^ nth. — This was such a lovely day, so bright 
and so mild that it was doubtful whether there would be 
any skating. Guests kept telegraphing from Ottawa, 
" Can I bring my toboggan ? " 

Fortunately, we were able both to skate and to to- 
boggan, and as it was very pleasant for the lookers-on, 
we remained out till past five, and had a most success- 
ful party. This is the last we can have before our ball, 
which now draws near. 

Our new supper-room, with its red-and-white tent, 
let down inside the tennis-court, and the shields bearing 
the arms of the various provinces hung round its walls, 
will be very pretty. The ball-room is wreathed in roses. 

Wednesday., 22d. — The American painter, Mr. Bier- 
stadt, and his wife are staying in the house with us, and 
he has begun to paint me a picture as a remembrance of 
his visit. It will be a nice thing to have. We went out, 
and saw the great curling-match of the year, for His 
Ex.'s medal. Montreal won it. The sixteen players had 
lunch with us. 



MARCH 1876 THEA TRICALS. 243 

We dressed for the fancy ball at nine — all our house- 
hold in costumes of the same period — and walked in pro- 
cession up the room. The dresses of our guests were 
beautiful, and there was great variety in them. The 
singing-dances and the new supper-room were much ad- 
mired, and when people went away at 4 a, m. they seemed 
extremely pleased. 

Saturday^ 2^th. — It snowed hard — in fact, I have never 
seen the snow round us so deep. The Littletons have to 
be almost dug out every day, and the road to their house 
is on a level with the palings. 

Monday, 2'jth. — The French members of the Com- 
mons gave a beautiful ball in the new Library at Ottawa, 
to which we went. The room, an enormous round build- 
ing, was very well lighted. I believe fifteen hundred 
people were in it, and there was no crush at all. We en- 
joyed it very much. Numbers of people wore their fancy 
dresses. 

Wednesday^ 2pth. — The Comte de Turenne arrived for 
the play. The actors dined early in D.'s room. Then I 
went to dress for Mrs. Honeyton, in the " Happy Pair." 
Then the " School " arrived, and began to dress in one 
room, and the men had another, and the guests came 
crowding in, and got off their things in the school-room, 
and there were painting and curling and excitement going 
on everywhere. 

Fred and I began the performance with "A Happy 
Pair," and had a very warm audience, which was pleas- 
ant. " School " is a very difficult piece for amateurs ; 
but I must say that it was an unequivocal success. 
Every part was well done, and it was quite new here, so 
the audience liked it immensely. I was really surprised 
when I came into the supper-room to see how handsome 
it looked, and it certainly is a much needed addition to 
the house, enabling us to give supper to a large party at 
17 



244 ^^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. xiv 

once. Afterwards I went into the drawing-room, and 
said good-night to all the beaming crowd. 

Tuesday^ April nth. — Such a lovely day. We play 
tennis, walk, lunch, practice some music, drive into Ot- 
tawa, and go to a birthday-party of the Littletons, where 
there was to be a magic lantern. I took six children, 
and Victoria enjoyed her first party immensely, and ap- 
plauded every slide. When a somewhat undraped statue 
was exhibited, she exclaimed that " Hallie would pip 
(whip) her." 

Monday^ ilth.— O^&n, Miss Abbot, and I drove into 
Ottawa in the morning, and after lunch walked to the 
river Rideau to see the ice coming down. We stood for 
some time watching great blocks go over the Falls, and 
then went to look over a bridge a little way off ; but 
after a little we saw such masses of ice rushing towards 
the Falls, that we returned to our original place, and 
when we got there found that a new bridge immediately 
over them, upon which we had been standing a few min- 
utes before, had been partly carried away. We sat down 
where we could have a good view of the river, and saw 
such a smashiftg, and heard' such a crashing of timber. 
There was great excitement on the spot — men and horses 
hard at work cutting and dragging away what could be 
saved from the wreck. 

Thursday, May nth. — The waters of the Ottawa are 
six feet higher than they have been for years, and there is 
much more ice to come down; there are floods.everywhere. 

Tuesday, i6th. — The weather deserves to be recorded, 
for it really was fine, bright and sunny, and unlike any- 
thing we have had before this month. A few mosquitoes 
were able to appear, but they are not strong enough 
either to buzz or to bite. 

Thursday, June 1st. — 103° in the shade. I was "at 
home," and received my visitors in the garden from four 



June 1876 RIVER PARTY, 245 

to six, when it was cooler and very pleasant. They 
looked at a game of tennis, and seemed to enjoy the 
garden. 

Wednesday^ yth. — D. and I, Nelly, the Smyths, and 
Littletons, left by a steamer at seven o'clock ia the 
morning, and landed at Buckingham at eight. There 
we saw a lovely waterfall. The river Le Lievre, a large 
tributary of the Ottawa, rushes at this place through a 
very narrow passage, and after falling a few feet the 
incline becomes more gradual, but the water tumbles 
over rocks and stones, and looks like a very steep rapid, 
unlike anything I have ever seen before, and very beau- 
tiful. This sight was only en passant. Nelly was de- 
lighted, and kept up a fire of joyful exclamations, which 
helped us to like getting up so early. 

After driving through the village of Buckingham, 
which was gayly decorated with flags and arches, we got 
out at a wharf, and found a small steam-launch ready to 
take us up the river. We had twenty-five miles to go, 
and were to be four hours doing it. There were some 
swift rapids in the river, and when we came to the worst 
ones we were told that the steamer was too heavily 
laden, and that some of us must get out. We had a good 
deal of trouble landing the gentlemen, D. only remaining 
with us. 

The small engine puffed away, but we made no prog- 
ress, and we got very frightened. The bell-rope which 
the pilot used for giving his orders had been burned 
through, a lace curtain having caught fire early in the 
day, and when he called out his orders the stoker did 
not always seem to hear. D. tried to reassure us, but 
when we looked out and found that we remained exactly 
in the same place — off a great rock — we ladies were in 
an agony of terror. Then the boat began to turn round, 
and the gentlemen on shore were frightened too when 



246 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xiv 

they saw this manoeuvre. They were powerless to help 
us, and they feared that if we were to touch a rock or 
the branch of a tree, while we had this powerful stream 
broadside on, we should be toppled over. By this time 
Nelly and I were both in tears, and it makes me laugh 
now to think of Nelly's face, the tears pouring down, 
as she exclaimed, " Oh ! it will be so horrid to be 
drowned." However, we turned safely, and did get to 
the shore again, and there we landed, so that the steamer 
was light enough to get up the rapids, while we walked, 
and got into her above them. 

We had all lost our appetites through fright — and 
they had been good — for we breakfasted at six, and it 
was three o'clock before we landed, still trembling, and 
had lunch on the shore. After that we had to walk a 
mile and a half to see the Fall, the object of our expedi- 
tion. 

The walk was rough, and we had some climbmg and 
some steep places to go down, and there were a great 
many mosquitoes on the road, so that after our advent- 
ure we felt that the waterfall must really be fine to 
compensate us. When we arrived our first impression 
was that we could not see the waterfall for the foam, 
but it really was a splendid sight, and perfectly unlike 
any fall I ever saw or imagined. We stood on a rock 
about half-way down the Fall, and could neither see the 
breadth nor the height of it, but only the thickness of 
it. A river with a rapid stream passes through a very 
narrow passage here, and issues like a wall of water 
from between the rocks. I felt as if a puff of wind 
might topple it down over me. We went lower after- 
wards, and saw more of it ; it is very high and very 
broad. 

About six wx returned to our boat, and when we 
asked for something to drink we found that everything 



JUNE 1876 QUEBEC. 247 

had disappeared from our basket. Lucky for us that 
drinks had been preferred to silver spoons ! Nelly and 
I rather dreaded the descent of our friend the rapid, 
but we got down safely in three hours. 

We found a large bonfire burning at Buckingham, 
and a crowd of people. There we got into the carriages, 
and prospered till we came to a steep hill with a preci- 
pice on one side, in the middle of which our horses 
jibbed, and when they got us well to the edge of the 
"precipice," Nelly and I escaped through the window 
(a large one). The horses were led down the hill, and 
D. reproached us for leaving him alone in his peril. 

It was rather cold all day on the water, but warm 
when we landed. We got back about eleven, very tired ; 
but, in spite of al-l our troubles, we were glad to have 
seen those splendid falls. 

When we undertook the expedition (invited by the 
owner of the steamer) we did not think it would take so 
long, and, in fact, knew little about it. The steamer 
has only been on that run for a few weeks, and scarcely 
any one has seen this Fall ; but I think it is a most mag- 
nificent sight. A reporter was present, and it depends 
upon what he thought of the rapids whether other peo- 
ple are encouraged to go or not. As he was not in the 
boat, and had no friend to be alarmed about on board, 
his view will probably be cheerful. 

Monday^ 12th. — Packing day ! Very hot, and every 
one melting and busy. Boxes and bags yawning all 
over the house. A holiday for the children. 

Thursday^ i^th. — We started early in the morning 
by train to Prescott, there got into the steamer, and 
had a pleasant voyage to Montreal, where we changed 
from one steamer to another, and came on to Quebec. 

Quebec : Friday^ i6th. — Arrived early, and landed at 
eight ; the Lieutenant-Governor and a guard of honor 



248 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

came to meet us, and we found the children waiting 
breakfast. It was very hot, and we did not go out till 
the evening. D. and I then walked over the scene of 
the late fire — desolation over a large space. 

Saturday^ I'jth. — We went to see the temporary ac- 
commodation arranged for the sufferers : charities have 
taken in some, and drill-sheds and barracks hold others. 
Poor people who have lost their all bore their misfort- 
unes wonderfully, I thought. Very hot all day. In 
the evening we went to see the " Busy Bees " perform. 
They are the officers and soldiers of the B Battery, and 
represented on this occasion the Christy Minstrels, sing- 
ing songs, etc. 

Monday^ ipfh. — Three strangers dined with us: a 
Frenchman, an Austrian, and an Englishman. D. en- 
joyed it very much, as he heard something of European 
politics. I was " at home," and saw many old friends in 
the afternoon. 

Tuesday, 20th. — At ten o'clock there was a parade on 
the Esplanade — a review on a small scale, with the B 
Battery as performers. Then D. presented some medals 
and prizes won by the Battery. The weather was beau- 
tiful, but directly after a series of heavy thunder-showers 
came on, which lasted all day. 

Wednesday, 21st. — The citizens of Quebec gave a great 
dinner to the Governor-General to-night. The room was 
most beautifully arranged, and the stage, at the far end 
of it, looked like a garden, with real flower-beds in the 
foreground, and a painted shrubbery behind them. 

There was one long, straight table, at which the 
principal guests were sitting, with the Governor-General 
in the middle ; and four more long ones ran down the 
room toward the gallery. About 200 gentlemen were 
present. 

D. and his speech ^vere immensely well received, and 



JUNE 1876 LORD DUFFERIN'S SPEECH. 249 

he spoke very well. He began by saying, " I can not 
help remembering under what various conditions, in how 
many vital emergencies, at what supreme epochs in its 
history, during the last 300 years, my illustrious prede- 
cessors must have had occasion to harangue the citizens 
of Quebec. In a thousand vicissitudes of fortune, in 
perpetual alternations of triumph and despondency — 
when hordes of savages were lurking round your pali- 
sades ; when famine had prostrated your strength, and 
the unaccustomed rigors of an Arctic winter had be- 
numbed your faculties ; when novel forms of pestilence 
devastated your homes, crowning your clergy and your 
sisterhoods with the aureole of martyrdom ; when for- 
eign leaguers assaulted your independence, and hostile 
cannon threatened your battlements — Viceroy after Vice- 
roy has appealed to your patience, your fortitude, your 
charity, your patriotism ; and never once, whether in 
good fortune or ill fortune, as your history tells us, has 
the appeal been made in vain." At the end he proposed 
the toast of " Prosperity to Quebec." 

Friday^ 2jd. — We visited the Sillery Convent, and 
then walked into a place belonging to Colonel Rhodes. 
He has underground gardens, which supply flowers, 
mushrooms, winter salads, etc. The Colonel, who enter- 
tained us most hospitably, has made quite a name for 
himself as a practical gardener here. The view from 
the house is lovely. 

On our return home we had a long visit from the 
Bassanos, who were delighted with our platform. After 
dinner the soldiers had some very good theatricals. 

Saturday, 24th. — D. went down to the steamer to say 
a few words to the Canadian rifle-team, now starting for 
Wimbledon. 

I was " at home," and the lovely morning turned into 
a very bad afternoon. Thunder and showers and wind 



250 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL ch. xiv 

came on, and though I had many visitors, they were all 
uncomfortable. Some feared for their gowns, some dis- 
liked thunder, and some thought it would frighten their 
horses ; and I sincerely sympathized with them all. 

Monday, 26th. — We went to the High School, and 
from it saw the procession of Jean Baptiste pass through 
the town on the way to the church. This is the great 
festival at Quebec. 

We spent two hours at the Ursuline Convent in giv- 
ing prizes to the pupil-teachers. D. made a speech to 
them, and commented upon the disrespectful way in 
which young ladies are alluded to on this continent, in- 
stancing the case of " Nellie Grant." 

We returned home in time to see Gwen and Russell 
off to Montreal, and Gwen was obliged to continue wav- 
ing her handkerchief to the children for several miles 
down the river. 

In the evening we attended a concert given by the 
Jean Baptiste society. An address was presented to D., 
a great bouquet and gilt china jar to me, and fireworks 
were sent after us as we departed. 

Tuesday, 2'jth. — A very busy day, preparing again for 
departure. I made time to call upon Lady Belleau, and 
took four children to see the Ursulines. It is a great 
treat to them to visit the nuns in their cage, and to re- 
ceive maple sugar through the bars. 

Wednesday, 28th. — We got off in the Druid ; a lovely 
day, and everything on board very comfortable and nice. 
We enjoyed sailing calmly up the beautiful river. Mr. 
Gregory, the official who furnishes the yacht, presented 
me with a key and with a list of goodies, which he bought 
for my special benefit, and had locked up for me. 

Friday, joth. — Arrived at Gaspe at eight o'clock, most" 
fortunate in having had so good a passage. Bad news 
of our river : they say it is much too high for fishing. 



JULY 1876 FISHING ON THE YORK RIVER. 25 1 

We went up to it, however — an hour's drive and three 
hours on horseback — Archie being the only one who 
really enjoyed this. Our servants had made our huts 
look very nice, and after lunch we went out to try the 
river; but the news was too true — the water was much 
too "heavy." We returned home to dinner — and mos- 
quitoes. Let me say at once that these torments are 
ever present, and are quite intolerable. 

Saturday^ July ist. — Having no hope of salmon here, 
D. and Fred went off to the York River, where they had 
been invited to fish, and which is an earlier river than 
ours. I sat all day in mosquito-armor reading, Archie 
took charge of smudges, and occupied himself in various 
small devices for killing time, and at eight o'clock D. 
and Fred returned. D. had caught five salmon and a 
grilse, the average weight of the salmon being 24 lbs., 
the largest one 28 lbs. Fred had one salmon of 26 lbs., 
and a large trout of 5 lbs. His salmon had been foul- 
hooked, and took him two hours to kill. 

Monday, jd. — As it has rained again, and there can 
not be any fishing here for some days, we resolved to 
return to our comfortable and mosquito-less Druid. 
Archie and I came off in the morning, and in spite of 
the long ride I am quite glad to be away from those 
torments. D. and Fred went to the York. D. this time 
got one, and Fred five. The largest of his was 32 lbs., 
and all were over 23 lbs. It was quite late when we 
assembled on board again, and we had not finished din- 
ner till nearly ten. 

Tuesday, 4th. — The greater part of the fish yesterday 
had been caught at a pool called Miller's Landing, and 
as D. found we could drive over there quite easily, he 
suggested that I should try my luck. We started directly 
after breakfast, and three hours' driving and walking 
brought us to our pool. We immediately set to work, 



252 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

but not a rise was to be got, and I feared my expedition 
was going to be fruitless. We gave up this "good" 
place, and went lower down the river, and I very soon 
had the pleasure of a rise. I stood up in the canoe to 
throw the fly, and sat down to manage my rod when the 
fish was on, for it would be no joke to upset the boat in 
these swift rivers. I landed my victim with success, and 
he weighed 21 lbs. I tried once more, and caught an- 
other 24 lbs. D. and I then had lunch, and I returned 
home at four, while he fished on, and brought two more 
salmon home in the evening. Fred was fishing higher 
up the river, and we hoped he would have had a 
good day ; but he had not a rise till five o'clock, when 
he came down to the place where we had been in 
the morning, and immediately had three. He got the 
third on, and was just happy, thinking it secure, when 
his reel broke, his fish went, and he had to come 
home. 

We had a very jolly little dinner when we met again, 
and enjoy being comfortably on board after our experi- 
ences of the "Bush." 

The owner of this river, with his party, caught fifty- 
seven salmon, averaging 23 lbs., the first week he was 
up here ; but, hoping for more, he went a long way higher 
up to camp at the " Narrows," and we have just heard 
that after four days there they have only caught three 
salmon. Mr. Reynolds will regret this expedition when 
he sees what good fishing we have had close to his 
house. 

Wednesday, 5//^. — This was a lovely day, and we are 
assured that two or three days " of this " will set our 
river right. We went ashore "to shop," and D. visited 
two schools, and after lunch we fished for " Tommy 
cods." We all sat in a boat and fished over the side. 
The excitement was in the variety of the game — sea 



JULY 1876 THE ST. JOHN RIVER, 253 

toads, blue fish, flat fish, Tommy cods, smelts. We 
brought home a bucketful. 

Sunday, gth. — We went to church in the morning, and 
in the afternoon took a most lovely walk. The weather 
was beautiful. 

Monday^ loth. — This morning Fred and Archie start- 
ed for the Bush, and D. and I went to fish the lower 
pools, intending to sleep here, and to follow them to- 
morrow. 

D. went on foot, taking with him a little boy to act 
as guide. On the way, this boy told him that his father 
had been drowned two months ago, about twenty miles 
up the river, having slipped into a rapid as he was push- 
ing some felled wood into the stream, and that his body 
had never been found. To-day, when fishing from a 
canoe, D. hooked a salmon, and the man had actually 
gaffed it, when it wriggled over the stern of the canoe 
back into the water. Knowing that the salmon was a 
dead fish, D. paddled slowly over the pools below. All 
of a sudden, as he was looking over the side of the 
canoe, he saw lying at the bottom of one of them, in 
about fifteen feet of water, the body of the poor man. 
It was in the same condition as on the day of his death, 
having been preserved in the ice-cold water. 

I had a canoe and two men to myself, and began the 
day well by getting several rises and three salmon. I 
thought I was going to do wonders ; but salmon-fishers 
are never sure of an hour's "luck." D. came from his 
pool to meet me, with four fish, and we landed, and were 
devoured by mosquitoes during lunch. I began again, 
and whipped the waters, without even a rise, till 6.30. 
On my way home I tried a new pool, and got fast to a 
salmon, which gave me very hard work and the greatest 
anxiety for half an hour, for we were on the brink of a 
very troublesome rapid, and I wanted to keep him away 



254 



MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. 



from that. Then some parts of the pool were very deep, 
and in others there were logs and traps of all descrip- 
tions ; so that I never felt sure of my fish till he was 
landed in the boat. The salmon on our river are smaller 
than those on the York, but they are very strong and 
lively. This one kept rushing off with the line, and 
jumping up in the air so far from me that I could scarcely 
believe he was my salmon. D. had eight salmon, and I 
four — a great day's fishing. 

Wednesday, 12th. — D. did not go out this morning, 
and sent in his stead our captain, a nice old man, 
who has never caught a salmon in his life. He re- 
turned at two o'clock highly delighted with a twenty- 
pounder he had landed, and which we have sent off to 
his wife. 

Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Middleton, who left their 
river to-day, came on board, and had lunch before em- 
barking for Quebec. Mr. Reynolds gave us his score, 
which I copy for the sake of those it may concern : — 



Salmon-Fishing on the 


York River 


1876. 






Salmon 


lbs. 


Average 


His Excellency 


. 8 


197 


24f 


Lady Dufferin . . . . 


2 


45 


22i 


Captain Hamilton . 


. 6 


148 


24f 


Mr. Molson 


. 14 


326 


23f 


Mr. Middleton 


. 50 


1.094 


2ie 


Mr. Reynolds . . . . 


. 29 


633 


2lf| 


Mr. Grant . . . . 


I 


27 


27 



Total . no 2,470 
General average, about 22^ lbs. 



We are rather afraid that, now we have come down, 
our fish have gone up the river. 

Saturday, i^th. — I went up the river with D. and 
Fred to catch trout. D. was very anxious to make up 



July 1876 ARCHIE' S BIRTHDAY. 255 

his forty * salmon, but he was only able to capture a 
grilse. When we returned to the ship we dined, said 
good-by to all the men, and started for Tadousac. 

Monday^ lyth. — We were in sight of Tadousac about 
one o'clock, and immediately shrieked from our steam- 
whistle to report ourselves to the children. They came 
down to the beach to meet us. 

Tuesday^ i^th.—Wo. keep Archie's birthday to-day, so 
a haycart, a buck-board, and a horse were ordered, and 
D. and I, five children, and Mademoiselle packed into 
the cart. Archie rode, and Fred, Mr. Dixon, and the 
provisions came in the buck-board. We drove to a 
place where there is a small waterfall and a mill, lunched 
there, stayed till it was time for a cup of tea, and then 
mounted our carts and drove "round the Concession." 
The buck-board broke down, and we had to borrow a 
cart. As the road home was very rough, the fun of the 
expedition consisted chiefly in the fearful bumps we got ! 
All our plates and cups were smashed, and I felt much 

* York River. 

Salmon lbs. 

His Excellency . . . . . . . 8 197 

Lady Duiferin 2 45 

Captain Hamilton 6 148 

Total . . 16 390 

Average, 24-1^^' l^s. 

St. John. 

His Excellency 30 54^ 

Captain Hamilton 14 217 

Lady Dufferin 4 53 

Our Captain i 20 

Total . . 49 836 
Average, i7iV lbs. 



256 ^^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xiv 

bruised and shaken ; but the children enjoyed it im- 
mensely. 

Thursday, 20th. — We left Tadousac to-day, and had 
to say good-by to Archie, who now goes to school in 
England — so the first break in our home circle is made. 
Parting with him took off rather from the distress of 
parting with the others ; though even from them we 
shall be away some time. We left in a great shower and 
thunderstorm, and had to anchor some hours in a fog. 

Ottawa : Monday, 24th. — Delighted to get to Rideau 
in the evening. Found the weather cool enough for 
fires. 

2^th-2gth. — The week has been spent in arranging 
for our departure for the Grand Tour. A great differ- 
ence of opinion exists as to what we shall want en route. 
Some say take provisions, others say don't. We de- 
cided, however, in the first place, to have a box made 
to hold plates, cups and saucers, knives and forks, tea, 
salt, etc. Then we take cases of preserved meats, a 
basket of eggs, some butter, Devonshire cream, and jam, 
and we have a refrigerator in our baggage-car. So we 
sha'n't starve, as we can add our own delicacies to the 
tough antelope steaks we are to get on the way. 

Mr. Reynolds has taken the greatest pains about our 
comfort in the railway carriages. Fred Ward arrived 
Saturday night, so we are now ready for our departure. 



CHAPTER XV. 

ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST. 

Sunday^ July joth. — I must begin my account of this 
Grand Tour one day before its actual commencement, 
because upon this Sunday, when even our rugs were 
rolled up in their straps, and only finishing touches re- 
mained to be put to our piles of luggage, a blow fell 
upon us. Dr. Grant called to inform me that Mrs. Little- 
ton was ill, and that in bed she must remain for at least 
ten days. 

I went over to see her, and found her dreadfully dis- 
appointed, but a little comforted by the hope of follow- 
ing us when she recovers. To me, and indeed to us all, 
as a party, she is a great loss — she is always so cheery, 
and so ready to enjoy everything. 

Monday, J 1st. — We breakfasted comfortably, and 
went to the station at 10.30. There we were received 
by the Governor-General's Guards, and by a great many 
friends who came to wish us " good-by." We have a 
whole Pullman to ourselves, and two " drawing-rooms " ; 
these last are small, square cabins, where four berths 
can be made up. My lucky maid inherits Mrs. Little- 
ton's, and as it can be opened into mine I also have 
some additional space. The three gentlemen — Colonel 
L. and the two Freds * — sleep in the Pullman, and we all 

* Captain F. R. Hamilton, A. D. C, and Captain Fred Ward, A. D. C. 



258 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

live in it by day, when the top berths shut up and dis- 
appear, and the under beds turn into seats for four. 

At Prescott we lunched in the station, and then re- 
turned to our " house-upon-wheels," and really began to 
live the life that is to be ours for seven days. Here I 
was introduced to the American reporter, a very nice 
young man, who comes with us to give an account of 
our tour in one of the New York papers. During the 
day he became so enthusiastic over the delightful pros- 
pect before us, that he made known to me, through 
Fred, his desire to invite a charming young lady of his 
acquaintance to share his enjoyment of the trip, assur- 
ing him that, if only I would lend her the shelter of my 
name, no more active chaperonage would be required 
of me ; and that her mother — too delicate to undertake 
such a journey herself — would be perfectly satisfied 
with this arrangement for her daughter. He proposed, 
with my approval, to telegraph at once and to arrange 
for the girl to join our special train at some station on 
the way. — Hard-hearted, prim Englishwoman that I am, 
I felt obliged to discourage the scheme ! 

Our next amusement was our five o'clock tea. Mr. 
Reynolds had made us a most ingenious " portable 
kitchen," and we all sat and watched our kettle boil, 
and were extremely particular about scalding our tea- 
pot, etc. We had an excellent cup of tea, in spite of the 
watching and the number of cooks ; so we set two 
proverbs at defiance with impunity. 

I have a comfortable chair (between the railway- 
couches), and I sat in it, did a little work, read and 
talked till eight, when we reached Coburg, where we 
had supper or dinner, whichever you like to call it. 
The evening is the least pleasant part of the day ; the 
light in the cars is not sufficient to read by, and we do 
not always feel inclined for games. 



AUG. 1876 CHICAGO, 



259 



Tuesday^ August ist. — We slept pretty well, though 
often awoke for a moment by the unusual sounds and 
shakings. We crossed in our train to the American 
side by means of a ferry opposite Sarnia. 

When we were dressed, and our carriage turned into 
its day condition, we got ready our breakfast ; the public 
had theirs at Sarnia. A most excellent meal we had : 
fresh-boiled eggs, which Fred Ward superintended ; tea, 
Mr. Reynolds's home-made bread, our own butter and 
Devonshire cream, potted meat, a cold chicken, rasp- 
berries, and jam ! We enjoyed it all very much, which 
accounts for my telling you so much about it. 

We were so warm and so dusty by the end of the day, 
that the sight of Lake Michigan, and the pleasant fresh 
air from it, as we passed close to it into Chicago, were 
very delightful. Crowds of people were bathing, and 
we longed to join them. When we arrived at the Palmer 
House Hotel, we were shown into the most gorgeous 
suite of rooms : a drawing-room with marble statues, 
satin curtains, embroidered chairs, gold and carving and 
pictures; a dining-room furnished with very pretty light 
wood, oh, so smart ! a bedroom too splendid to sleep 
in, and with a magnificent satin cover over the bed ; a 
bath-room off it, and a large room, with two " unique " 
beds in it, for a dressing-room. We settled into these 
magnificences as well as we could, but I think we rather 
agreed with my maid, who said that at the end of a 
long day in a train one did not feel inclined to be 
" bothered with so much splendor." 

Wednesday, 2d. — The Count de Turenne breakfasted 
with us. and drove with us to the station. Mr. Palmer 
took a tender farewell of " Mr. and Mrs." Dufferin, as 
he called us, and Mr. Forrest and his daughters (old 
acquaintances) also saw us off, and I was introduced 
to Mr. St. John, the Globe reporter. The Chicago 
18 



26o MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xv 

morning paper speaks of me as " Her Royal Nibess," 
and says that I do not wish my " hubbie to go and see 
the ' Nausty ' man," Brigham Young. It also reports 
that we went to bed early to " save gas," and that " if our 
money holds out " we shall go to the Centennial. 

We had rather a pleasant day : it was less dusty, 
some of the country very rich and well cultivated, vine- 
yards to be seen, and nice little homesteads ; we saw 
some prairie land, and in the evening stood outside our 
car to cross the Mississippi. There is a beautifully light 
bridge over it, 2,260 feet long. It is a sensation to see 
this river, of which one has heard so much; and a great 
river can't help being striking, but there is nothing 
grand in the scenery at this point. 

We lunched and dined at stations, Burlington being 
the principal one at which we stopped. After dinner we 
played whist, and all agreed that we had got over the 
day very well. The people we have seen traveling so 
far get out looking very dirty and crumpled, and one is 
quite tired of the sight of brown holland ; every one is 
attired in it ; you might think it was a livery. 

Thursday^ jd. — We had a very bad night — stopping 
so constantly it was almost impossible to sleep — and I 
was not, therefore, in good condition for trying the 
"hotel car," which was put on. There seemed to be an 
excellent meal provided ; but the room was hot, and 
smelled of food, and I longed for our own little quiet 
breakfast. 

At ten we reached Omaha, and crossed the Missouri 
— such an extremely muddy river, it excites no desire to 
bathe in it. Carriages awaited us here, and we drove up 
to our hotel, and chose our rooms ; they really are very 
good for this last point of civilization, before the prairie 
begins. 

D. and I took a drive to see the town, and we sat on 



AUG. 1876 THE PLATTE VALLEY. 261 

the steps of the High School while he made a sketch of 
the view : low hills in the background, the Missouri 
twisting about through muddy-looking plains, and the 
small town in the foreground. 

We took another walk later in the day, and saw our 
first Chinaman — a neat young man, all in black, with his 
coat cut after the fashion of his country. The streets 
of Omaha are very new, with bridges of loose planks 
between the footpath and the street, and the houses are 
low and square-looking ; but there is a fine post-office. 

The Mayor called upon D., and one resident Cana- 
dian presented an address. 

Friday^ 4th. — We left Omaha in the morning, and had 
a most delightful day. The weather was perfect : warm 
enough to sit with every window open, and yet fresh 
and pleasant ; no dust, and a most exhilarating atmos- 
phere. We are rising all day, going slowly over the 
Rocky Mountains ; the train moves at an easy sort of 
jog-trot, and we thoroughly enjoy everything. We 
passed through the Platte Valley, the river Platte run- 
ning at some distance from us all day. The scenery, if 
not beautiful, is interesting : a great sea of land, very 
flat, but with a good soil, and giving one an extraordi- 
nary idea of the capabilities of the country and of the 
room in it. 

We lunched at Fremont, and dined at Grand Island. 
There is a difference of opinion as to the food at these 
stations. My idea is that it is excellent ; the reporters 
and my maid think it is disgusting. This difference of 
opinion can be explained. If you require a meat din- 
ner, you w'll find it bad; but I want neither meat nor 
wine, and can live upon the things which we get good 
everywhere : tumblers full of iced milk, good bread, 
butter, eggs, fish, and iced cream ! — the latter, at the 
most unpromisin'j-looking stations, rivals Gunter. We 



262 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. XV 

generally have a table reserved for us, and at Fremont 
a very smart negro, with a beautiful peacock-feather 
fan, brushed the flies away while we lunched. 

Satui'day^ ^th. — We slept much better last night, and 
I did not even awake when we were stopped by — the 
grasshoppers ! They get on the rails, and, being squashed 
there, oil them, so that the engine can scarcely pull the 
carriages along, as the wheels don't bite. 

When we did awake, we found ourselves on the 
Rocky Plains, a delicious wind blowing, and not bring- 
ing the dust to us. 

I got out at the station, where the people were break- 
fastmg, and looked about — a scene of desolation ; and 
yet when we look back from the train it does not appear 
so desolate : great plains of dull-colored grass, broken 
up by rocky mounds, which present a white appearance 
to the eye ; in fact, a part of the Rocky Mountains. We 
have risen 3,600 feet since we left Omaha, and I suppose 
the delicious air makes everything appear couleur de rose. 
We have seen flocks of cattle, and four antelopes. The 
curious thing is, that you see cattle apparently quite 
near, but on consideration you realize that they must 
be very far away, as you can not make out the details ; 
a man on horseback that you fancy quite close, looks 
like a stone moving. There are no trees or houses, or 
any object by which to judge distances, and the atmos- 
phere is wonderfully clear. 

This is very like being at sea : the wind whistles 
round the car, and the land round us is flat, with white- 
crested waves of rocky sandhills, while the air is most 
exhilarating. But I must not, under its intoxicating in- 
fluence, fill up my journal with rhapsodies. 

We lunched at Cheyenne, and were met there by the 
Governor of the territory, Mr. Thayer. There is a large 
hotel at Cheyenne, and it is " quite a place." After 



AUG. 1876 THE ALKALI PLAINS. 263 

leaving it the scenery became lovely. First, we had the 
interest of the plain, with its little prairie dogs to watch, 
the gophers — a sort of ground-squirrel — and an occa- 
sional antelope ; then the plain broke up into undulating 
hills and heaps of rock, a few scattered trees, and the 
magnificent range of Rocky Mountains, with patches of 
snow relieving their blueness, in the distance. Some of 
the '* heaps of rock " look like ruined castles, for the 
stones are piled one upon another. The ground is much 
broken. Altogether, I think the views enchanting, and 
I breathe the air with pleasure. At Sherman we reached 
our highest point (8,263 feet), and soon after leaving it 
we went over a very awful-looking structure — a sort of 
skeleton bridge, without a parapet, across a ravine. 

The wind, of which there is a good deal, blew off the 
lid of our precious kettle, but luckily we stopped a mo- 
ment after, and it was rescued. 

Sunday^ 6th. — The scenery early in the day was ugly ; 
sandy, desolate plains — '' the Artemisian Desert," it is 
called, or " the Alkali Plains." 

Breakfast and lunch, at Evanston, were served by 
"John Chinamen." They wore clean white blouses, 
loose blue trousers, and stumpy embroidered shoes, their 
long pigtails twisted round their heads and fastened up. 
Their height, their dress, their hair, and their singularly 
mild expression, make them very feminine looking. At 
Evanston there were some very Indian Indians — hide- 
ous brown squaws, dressed in brilliant rags, waiting at 
the doors of the railway carriages for gifts of food, and 
a number of boys with arrows standing about with 
them. The Colonel set up a coin on a stick for them to 
shoot at, and one split the stick. He also knocked the 
cork off a bottle without touching the bottle. 

The guide-book told us that after leaving Evanston 
we were to watch with " full breath and anxious heart " 



264 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

for the magnificent scenery now about to burst upon us 
as we pass through the Echo Canon, or valley. Ac- 
cordingly, we sat out on the edge of our baggage-car, 
and if we were a little disappointed at first, by the even- 
ing we were well pleased, and felt that we had really 
seen a most curious and (part of it) beautiful place. We 
came down hill through the valley, starting from a great 
upland of the Uintah Range of the Rocky Mountains. 
The railroad seems to divide the country into two parts, 
for on one side, rising immeaiately from the track, were 
green, sloping banks, while on the other were gigantic 
hills of rough, red stone, twisted and tilted and tumbled 
into every sort of strange form — castles and pulpits, 
monuments — all kinds of devices seemed to stand before 
us. We remained the whole afternoon watching the 
views develop as vv^e passed the various points ; the beau- 
tiful part was when we distanced the details, and when 
the green and the red and the curious shapes become a 
broken mountain range, opening now and then to show 
us miles and miles of mountain and plain below. 

For several hours we had a little stream close to us, 
and as the day became very hot, the river seemed most 
refreshing, and added a foreground of fresh green to 
the magnificent views in the distance. We passed the 
Thousand Mile Tree — 1,000 miles from Omaha — and 
close to it " the Devil's Slide," a curious geological 
formation : two natural walls of rock down the side of a 
hill, with just sufficient room between them for " Him " 
to slide through. 

A short time before we got to Ogden we came, as it 
were, through the Rocky Mountains, passing quite close 
to patches of snow, and looking back upon a very much 
more rocky appearance than the mountains have from 
the other side. Now, do you understand that from 
Omaha the country gradually slants upward towards 



AUG. 1876 OGDEN. 265 

these mountains, and that the railroad mounts to a 
height of 8,242 feet, after which it suddenly descends ? 
Do you realize that now the rivers flow the other way, 
and that we have crossed the Great Range ? 

An American general came to have tea, or rather 
iced water, in our car, and stayed till we reached Ogden. 
We part from our car and our two conductors here. 
The guard (as we should say in England) and the porter 
— by name and by nature Mr. Brown — belong to this 
particular Pullman, and have been most attentive to us 
on the way ; but the lines of railroad change here, and 
we have to get into another car. 

We had arranged to sleep at Ogden, and on arriving 
there, at six, we visited our rooms. They were fright- 
fully hot, for the weather is very warm. The village is 
in a valley, and there are stony hills straight opposite the 
house. This is on the way to Salt Lake City, and this 
place is almost full of Mormons ; so, of course, when Fred 
and I took a little walk, we fancied every two women 
we saw together were colleague-wives, and every house 
to us seemed to have several entrances for the various 
ladies of the family. 

Monday, yth.—^Q had every door and window of our 
rooms open, and so spent a tolerably cool night. 

All the morning we sat on the platform of the station. 
The thermometer was 99° in the shade. In the after- 
noon, D. and I went for a drive up the Ogden Canon, the 
same thing, in miniature, as the Echo Canon, through 
which the railway goes. 

Our driver gave us much information as we went 
along, showed us the house of a bishop who owns eight 
wives and forty children, one of the wives busy clothes- 
washing at the back door. Our reporters went to Salt 
Lake, and interviewed Brigham Young. The American 
found that the Prophet had married a relation of his, for 



266 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xv 

on hearing his name, and where he came from, Brigham 
Young said : " Oh, I must have married your father's 
sister, but I had forgotten all about the family." This 
reporter thinks no name bad enough to apply to his new 
relation. 

Ogden has no time of its own, but keeps " East " 
time for one train, and " West " time for the other. A 
perpetual sum of mental arithmetic goes on, and we 
were constantly forgetting by which time we ought to 
go, and trying to remember whether the " left-hand 
clock " or the " right-hand clock " was ours. 

We left in the evening, and found our new carriage 
very comfortable, though it has only one " drawing- 
room." We sat at the end of it — the last of the whole 
train — and passed by moonlight along the banks of the 
Salt Lake. 

Tuesday^ 8th. — We are going through the Alkali 
Plains, and the dust is dreadful : a large, rough dust 
covering everything in a second, and very painful to the 
eyes. As I write this my paper is like a plowed field, 
and, the wind being very high, one can only see a few 
yards for the clouds that surround the carriage. 

The only thing that grows on these plains is sage, 
and a "sage-bush " here is the worst name one can apply 
to any vegetable growth. 

Wednesday^ pth. — We got up at six this morning in 
California, the sandy desert changing into a mountain- 
ous district covered with pine and oak, parts of it laid 
bare like a great quarry by the mining for gold. As 
one looks back upon the country through which one has 
just passed, it seems perfectly impossible that the rail- 
way should really have made its way through such steep 
and perpendicular rocks, which seem more fitted for the 
Alpine traveler with his helpful stick than for an immense 
long train like ours. 



AUG. 1876 ''ROUNDING CAPE HORNr 267 

The point of interest is " rounding Cape Horn." 
There is a "path " just wide enough for the railway- 
round a precipitous rock, and one looks straight down 
upon the valley far beneath. This is very fine, but I 
find the skeleton bridges very trying to the nerves ; one 
can see through them, and they make no attempt at hav- 
ing sides, and are so very weak-looking, and so high 
from the ground. Nowell expressed our sentiments 
when he kept saying, as we went over the last : "A very 
light bridge," "A very weak bridge," "We are over it," 
"A very good bridge." 

The country now begins to look rich and park-like, 
and at the stations the most enormous peaches are 
offered to us at twopence apiece. 

The Colonel was talking to a certain man on the 
train yesterday, and we hear that this morning the said 
man has been arrested for murder. He and others set 
fire to Chinese establishment, and shot the wretched peo- 
ple as they came out. The murdered were " only " Chinese, 
so it is supposed that a small bribe will get the assassins 
off. 

We lunched, very badly, at Colfax, where there was a 
grizzly bear at the station, and then returned to our car- 
riages for a hot, dusty afternoon. However, we felt 
that our long journey — of nine days — was near its end, 
and packed up the things in our " house-on-wheels " 
ready for our arrival at San Francisco. 

Mrs. Littleton telegraphs that she can't come at all. 
I am so sorry. 

Having washed off the dust, and made ourselves as 
smart as possible, we prepare to " land " at a small sta- 
tion called Oaklands. Captain Chatfield, the captain of 
H. M. S. Amethyst ; Mr. Booker, the English Consul ; and 
Mr. Walkem, a British Columbian, came " on board," and 
escorted us to our hotel. We got into a large ferry- 



268 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

steamer, which took us over to San Francisco. Our ho- 
tel is the " Palace," and is enormous ; it is built round a 
court, which, by the way, is loaded with American flags ; 
there must be at least five hundred of them hung about. 
Our rooms are very nice, smart and clean. We took a 
walk while our baggage was being brought up, and looked 
at some shop-windows ; but oh ! it v/as so cold. I had 
on my light " train " garments, and the wind blew through 
and through me. I saw many ladies in furs, and have 
now ordered out mine. The climate is treacherous — 
that is to say, that of San Francisco, for it is a promon- 
tory, and its climate is different from the rest of Califor- 
nia. We went home after seeing some second-rate shops 
and quantities of Chinamen. We shall not be able to visit 
the Chinese quarter on this occasion, as the small-pox is 
very bad there. 

Captain Chatfield, who has kindly made every ar- 
rangement for our comfort on board the Amethyst, dined 
with us, and we went to the play, and saw the " Geneva 
Cross." The theatre is a very good one, and we enjoyed 
the play ; though I, at any rate, began to feel the effects 
of having risen at six and traveled day and night for 
many days. 

Thursday, loth. — Breakfasted in the enormous dining- 
room, and were very glad of a fire in our sitting-room. 
Received visits from Mr. Bradford, the artist ; Captain 
Chatfield ; and a lovely basket of flowers, with " Wel- 
come to California," from an old North of Ireland 
friend. 

At one o'clock D. and I, the Colonel and Fred Ward, 
drove off to see the sights. We went to Woodward's 
Gardens to see the sea-lions fed, but were too late for 
this, and so, after looking at an aquarium, we resolved 
to go at once to the Cliff House. This is a hotel over- 
hanging the Pacific, and is a great resort of the people 



AUG. 1876 SAI/ FRANCISCO. 269 

here. To get to it you drive through the Park, a place 
which has been reclaimed from a sand-heap, specimens 
of the original desert being plentiful on all sides. 
Every morsel of earth has been carried to the spot ; a 
beautiful road has been made, and trees and green grass 
are actually growing on this unpromising place. The 
balcony of the Cliff House, overlooking the Pacific 
Ocean, is charming. Close to the hotel there are some 
great rocky islands, upon which sea-lions are basking in 
the sun, and pelicans stand combing out their feathers. 

I counted seventy-one sea-lions to be seen at once; 
some were dry, and of a real lion color, others which 
were still wet looked quite black. They made a noise 
very like that of hounds in a kennel, and it was most 
amusing to watch them climbing about the rocks, jump- 
ing in and out of the sea, and enjoying themselves 
generally. The pelicans, too, were flying about, and 
taking headers into the water. There was a haze in the 
distance, which prevented our seeing the land view. 
We lunched at this hotel upon its celebrated fare : 
oysters, *' Porter-house steak," and omelet, and then 
drove home. San Francisco is built on the side of a 
hill, and everywhere there are other very steep hills, and 
our driver " beat " down some of them, going from side 
to side all the way. Most of the houses are built of 
wood, and have small gardens in front, and creepers 
growing up them ; the streets gje pure sand, and there 
are windmills for pumping water everywhere ; you see 
ten or twelve of them in two or three streets. 

One curious thing here is a car in which to go up 
and down hill without horses. There is an engine on 
the top of the hill, which winds and unwinds a wire 
rope, and this is attached to the carriages ; as the rope 
is invisible, this unexpected movement of the carriages 
has an odd effect. 



270 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xv 

General McDowell, the hero of Bull Run, dined with 
us, and we took him to a special performance of " Brass " 
in our honor. We had a good box, and enjoyed that 
very ridiculous play. 

D. and;! took a walk, and on our return we found a' 
most ocanch old man from Killyleagh. He is con- 
nected with both our families, having been called Hans 
after D.'s grandfather, and having been taken on board 
my grandfather's ship when he was thirteen. It is ex- 
traordinary how he remembers everybody of that day — 
the very old times. He put me through such an examina- 
tion as to my great-aunts, uncles, and cousins, that I felt 
some self-satisfaction at having passed it. He thought 
me like my family, but said the ancestors did not come 
out so clearly in Fred. 

This man has been mining for forty-five years, and 
now declares that he is going back to the " old place " 
to buy a little property and die there. I dare say " going 
home " is a dream of his, and that he expects to start 
by every steamer ; but the gold-fever is difficult to 
shake off, and, even if he does go, I fear matter-of- 
fact Killylaugh will be dull after years of Californian 
gambling. 

This interview ended, we had to begin to prepare for 
departure. The gentlemen had to get into their uni- 
forms, and there was great agitation over a missing 
bit of uniform, and a frantic rush to the tailor to make 
up the deficiency. We breathed again, and were all 
gloved, booted, and spurred, the luggage and servants 
gone, when I peeped into His Ex.'s room, and discovered ' 
an enormous bath-sponge unpacked ! Fred and I were 
in despair over it ; we ungloved, and wrung it, and 
squeezed it, and reduced it to its smallest possible com- 
pass, and then we did not know what to do with it. 
Could I in state, could he in uniform, carry a vulgar 



AUG. 1876 H. M. S. AMETHYST, 27 1, 

paper parcel ? Could we march on board H. M. S. 
Amethyst with the consciousness of a damp, unwieldy 
sponge about us ? No ! drops of water oozed through 
the paper at the very idea. Happy thought ! Push the 
sponge up into the arm of His Excellency's fur coat, 
and carry it so ; " It might drop out just as the salute 
is being fired " ; " it does look rather gouty for the arm 
of an empty coat, but still, what better place can we 
find for it ? " 

We carried out our brilliant idea, and were satisfied 
with our ingenuity. D. came in, and I told him that on 
no account must he put on his fur coat ; but the despotic 
ruler of the Canadian Dominion declared that not for 
all the sponges of the sea would he consent to be cold 
with a fur coat at hand ; and after all we had to submit 
to a vulgar newspaper parcel. It was lent the shelter 
of the fur coat at any rate till we got to the boat, was 
received with respect by a gentleman in uniform, was 
laid with care by His Excellency's side in the man-of- 
war boat, and was extricated during the voyage to the 
ship by one of his Aides-de-camp, who managed to 
leave it lying innocently upon the seat when His Excel- 
lency stepped on board the Amethyst, whence it was con- 
veyed to the proper quarter by one of Her Majesty's 
seamen. 

We sent two men-servants on by the mail steamer, 
so the party on board the Amethyst consists of D. and 
I, Colonel Littleton, the Freds, Miss Alexander * (my 
maid), and " John." 

The captain has taken a large slice off his cabin, and 
divided it into two; if I were not afraid of using a 
wrong mathematical term, I should say that the slice is 



* Mrs. Dent returned with me to Canada as my housekeeper, and 
Alexander was my new maid. 



2/2 MY CANADIAN JOURXAL. CH. XV 

an equilateral triangle, that a small angle at the top or 
point is my maid's room, and that D. and I, two iron 
beds, and a large chest of drawers, inhabit the base of 
the said triangle. Captain Chatfield has been so kind 
in making everything nice — pictures on the walls, muslin- 
covered dressing-table, etc. We remain at anchor till 
the morning, and are, consequently, very bold and brave 
and perky, and dine below, and play whist and enjoy 
ourselves. 

Saturday^ 12th. — "A change comes o'er the spirit of 
my dream " ; it appears to me that the Pacific is a nasty 
ocean. I get on deck, and lie and sit and doze all day ; 
the men look pale, and are not in good spirits. 

Sunday^ 13th. — The Pacific is even a nastier ocean 
than I imagined, very much nastier than the Atlantic, 
and the Captain's cabin the least nice place one could 
possibly be in. The screw thumps and vibrates directly 
under it, and the pitching is longer, and in it one has to 
perfection that delightful sensation of being held in mid- 
air which is so very trying to the inner man. 

Mo?zday, 14th. — Got on deck, and lay in a cot swung 
under a tent of flags ; every one better, but not well — 
not by any means. I should have felt very low about 
myself, had I not heard the Captain say that we " shipped 
green seas " nearly the whole way over ; so I feel that I 
had a right to be ill. Alexander got very much upset 
by the screw, and I awoke in the night to hear her cry 
that she could not stay there, and to see her advancing 
into the Captain's cabin. D. helped her in there, and 
as the Captain did not awake, she lay herself down on 
the floor under his cot and slept. 

Tuesday^ i^th. — Things look better. I dress, and sit 
down and eat, and soon begin to walk, and to look 
about with pleasure. We coast all the way, and there 
are strange, dangerous, isolated rocks sticking up out 



AUG. 1876 ESQUIMAULT. 273 

of the sea. About three we arrive at Cape Flattery, and 
directly after passing it come to a narrow channel (ten 
miles) between Vancouver and the mainland. We have 
the sun, smooth water, and before us a splendid snow- 
capped range of mountains. 

We reached Esquimault at nine, dropped anchor, and 
the screw ceased, so that we shall have a quiet night 
before encountering British Columbia. The mail steamer 
has not arrived, and they say we are twenty-four hours 
sooner than we were expected. 

Wednesday^ i6th. — After a peaceful night I came on 
deck, and found myself in a beautiful harbor, very small, 
but very deep ; two men-of-war besides our own, gayly 
dressed with flags; flags and banners on land, beautiful 
mountains in the distance, charming weather. 

The early morning was spent in waiting about, mes- 
sages coming and going; some anxiety felt about the 
mail steamer, which is two days late ; however, at twelve 
she arrived with our servants, who are announced as the 
" Hon. F. Nowell and the Hon. G. Dame, Aides-de-Camp 
to His Excellency." If they had arrived first, as they 
should have done, I believe they would have been re- 
ceived by the whole city. 

We were to land at one, and at that hour the Staff 
went off in one boat, while we followed in another, and 
remained a short way from the ship while the salute was 
fired. 

Then we stepped ashore, and were received by Sir 
James Douglas and a number of residents, and got into 
the carriage which was to drive us to Victoria. We 
grew into an enormous procession before we reached 
that city (it is three miles distant), numbers of carriages 
and riders joining us. At one point along the route 
there rode out from the wood a party of magnificently- 
dressed archers, such as you have not seen off the stage : 



2^4 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

green-feathered hats, green velvet coats, breeches, big 
boots, bows, arrows— really very handsome-looking peo- 
ple. They formed an escort the rest of the way. Far- 
ther on we picked up a band of horsemen with red rib- 
bons across their breasts — a company in green — bands 
— some militia — an army of small boys, each carrying a 
bright-colored flag — my " body-guard." The men who 
wore the colored sashes saluted in a curious fashion, by 
putting the hand to the mouth. We went over two 
bridges, both ornamented with green and with various 
flags and devices, whence we saw a number of the Indian 
canoes, which here are shaped like gondolas, full of peo- 
ple, and covered with flags ; the Indians were singing, 
and we were sorry we could not stop to look at them 
longer and to see them nearer. 

Then we passed through the Chinese quarter of the 
town, and saw a number of the men and a few of the 
very funny little women. The Chinese put up their own 
arches, and they were very prettily designed ; they hung 
up lanterns in some, and on one there was quite a house- 
ful of little images. When we entered Victoria there 
was an address. D. replied from the carriage. At pres- 
ent the feeling here is British, but anti-Canadian, on ac- 
count of the railroad, which can't be made yet ; so it is 
not all plain sailing. We were told that on one arch 
there was written, " Our Railroad or Separation." The 
Governor-General was obliged to refuse to go under it, 
though he said he would do so if the " S " were turned 
into an " R " ; and one man who found we were making 
a turn to avoid the street with the obnoxious arch jumped 
about as if he were mad, and when he met us above the 
arch he jumped again, and shrieked, " Three groans for 
Mackenzie ! " 

I think every one of the 5,000 inhabitants of Vic- 
toria must have been out in the streets, and we drove 



AUG. 1876 VICTORIA. 275 

at a foot's pace to the Government House,* which has 
been lent to us during our visit here ; the drive lasted 
two hours and a half. 

When we got to the door, we stood while the pro- 
cession passed, and D. had an opportunity of stopping a 
carriage full of Chinamen, and thankmg them for their 
reception of him. At last everybody was gone, and we 
looked about. The house is very nice and comfortable : 
there is a good ball-room, small drawing-room, large 
billiard-room, and excellent bedrooms. We have a Chi- 
nese cook, who is, I grieve to say, highly British, having 
cooked for six Governors, but he is very good in his 
homely style ; Ah Sam is his name. Then I have a very 
comfortable sort of housekeeper, a housemaid wath a 
Chinaman under her, our own four servants, a coach- 
man, and a gardener — but I have had to write so much 
to-day that I will finish my description to-morrow. We 
were very tired at night, and were glad to go early 
to bed. 

In the evening the Chinese quarter of the town was 
illuminated, and all their houses were opened ; people 
went in just as they liked, and were given tea and sweet- 
meats. 

Thursday, lyth. — This Government House is built on 
a rock, but a nice garden has been made ; the drawback 
to it is the want of water. Every drop, both for house 
and garden, has to be brought in barrels ; so there is not 
much to spare, and the grass is all burned up. From the 
windows there is a view of a magnificent range of mount- 
ains, a little wanting in variety of outline, but extremely 
high. Mount Baker stands by itself, and really is a very 
splendid sight. Between us and them there is the sea. 

* The Hon. Mr. Richards, havmg been only recently appointed 
Lieutenant-Governor, had not yet occupied Government House. 
19 



2^6 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

D. interviewed people from ten till five. They are 
very angry with Canada, and he has hard work. About 
five I got him to come and take a little drive. We called 
on the Lieutenant-Governor — Mr. Richards — drove 
through the city, and as our drive was unofficial, went 
under the obnoxious arch, and round the " park," Beacon 
Hill ; from the coast-road there is a very fine view of 
the mountains. Captain Chatfield came to stay with us. 
There is a bright sun, but a cold wind. It seems to me 
a trying climate, and the many changes of temperature 
and food, and the long journey, have rather knocked 
me up. 

Chief Justice Sir Matthew Begbie dined with us. He 
is a very big man, very amusing, and the whist-player of 
British Columbia ; however, on this occasion D. and I 
beat him thoroughly. His mind was, I suppose, distract- 
ed, for I found afterwards that he had planned to sere- 
nade us, and had arranged for some young ladies to 
come up at 9.30 to sing with him at our windows ; so he 
was all the time listening with one ear for the sound of 
wheels, while he was attending to the trumps with his 
eyes. At last D., who had just gone away to do some 
business, heard voices in the garden, and with well- 
feigned astonishment rushed in to tell me. We brought 
the singers in, and gave them tea. 

Friday, i8th. — We had a dinner for the Lieutenant- 
Governor and his wife. The other guests were Mr. and 
Mrs. Bunster (he is the Dominion M. P.), Mr. and Mrs. 
Roscoe, Senator and Mrs. Macdonald, and the local 
Prime Minister, with his wife, Mrs. Elliott. 

Saturday, ipth. — D. kept, busy till within ten minutes 
of dinner-time. He is working very hard. At five o'clock 
I gave him up, and took the Commodore and the boys a 
drive. We went to the Gorge. The roads here are 
good, and the drives pretty. 



AUG. 1876 OUR CHINESE COOK. 277 

In the evening we had a Drawing-room at the Parlia- 
ment Buildings. The officers of the fleet helped to make 
a brilliant Court, and it was very largely attended, and 
was most successful. Six Chinamen came, and their 
names greatly tried the gravity of the A. D. C. who had 
to read them aloud. 

Monday^ 21st. — I walked for an hour with D., and the 
whole of the rest of the day he was shut up with various 
people. One deputation stayed from two till six. I was 
*'at home," and the Commodore helped me to receive my 
visitors, for Fred was deep in invitations, and the others 
were with D. In the evening we had a dinner — Mr. and 
Mrs. Trutch, Mr. and Mrs. Crease, Mrs. Grey, Mrs. 
0'Reilly,the Ministers Smith and Vernon, and the Mayor 
(Mr. J. S. Drummond). 

Tuesday, 22d. — As usual, the morning was spent by 
D. in seeing deputations and visitors of all kinds. 

We had an afternoon-party, and I received the guests 
in the garden. We had a band there, but in a very short 
time we adjourned to the house, and danced. D. was 
released about four o'clock, and was able to lead off 
the ball. Six Chinamen came, and looked on with great 
interest. The party broke up at 5.30, and we had a 
dinner, beginning at 6.30, and had afterwards to attend 
a concert held in the theatre. 

Wednesday, 2jd. — I have just received such a funny 
visit. Our cook. Ah Sam, has been lately married, and 
said he would like me to see his wife ; so she came this 
morning. The door opened, and in walked a Chinese 
lady, dressed in black satin, wearing bracelets and rings, 
and with her hair wonderfully done ; and supported by 
her came a little creature with a baby face, who evi- 
dently could not walk alone on account of her tiny feet, 
her hair very much dressed, and ornamented with what 
appeared to be a cap of many-colored cut papers ; she 



^78 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xv 

wore a blue tunic with embroidery on it, black satin pet- 
ticoat, bracelets, and earrings, and had rings on her bits 
of hands. This was the bride. We got her into a chair, 
for she seemed at first incapable of even shaking hands 
without help, and for some time she appeared to be on 
the verge of tears, and half covered her face with a red 
silk pocket-handkerchief. It was a little embarrassing 
for us all. Ah Sam kissed my hand, and brought in a 
tray full of presents : two packets of fireworks (which 
will be awkward to travel with), some gimcracks they 
use in their churches, a Chinese crepe handkerchief, and 
some shell frames. We looked at these and thanked 
him, and then he went away, and we began to talk to 
the bride, who by this time had somewhat recovered. 
She was really a very pretty little thing, with a bright 
complexion, pretty eyes and teeth; and she answered us 
very nicely in English, and quite understood D.'s jokes 
as to the respective merits of her hairdressing and mine. 

Poor baby that she is, she has only been married a 
week, and has not known Ah Sam, who is an elderly and 
very ugly gentleman, much longer. When leaving, she 
kissed my hand, and then made a set courtesy at the 
door, just like a child who had learned its lesson. 

At twelve o'clock we went in carriages to see a re- 
gatta, which was to be held at the Gorge — an arm of the 
sea which spreads out like a small lake, narrowing at 
each end; its shores are rocky mounds and wooded 
banks, and on them there were knots of people in every 
direction. Across one end there was a string of flags, 
which, with the background of mountains, wood, and 
water, looked very gay ; a number of boats were dotted 
about, and arranged in three groups were twenty large 
canoes, filled with Indians, and covered from stem to 
stern with flags. It is impossible to conceive anything 
more brilliant than the scene was, with a bright sun 



AUG. 1876 REGA TTA. 279 

shining over all. As soon as the Indians saw the Gov- 
ernor-General approaching, they set up an extraordinary 
howl, and jumped about, stamping and clapping. 

We got into a man-of-war's boat, and rowed about 
among them, being greeted by each set with fresh con- 
tortions and acclamations. There were about seventeen 
people in each canoe. Most of them had their faces 
painted — bright red being the favorite color. Some had 
a streak across the face, others patches on their cheeks, 
some were almost covered with it. Some had down 
sticking all over their heads, and looked as if they had 
slept inside a feather-bed. They also wore colored 
handkerchiefs tied on in every sort of fashion, most cu- 
rious to behold. 

There were some excellent races, four or five of the 
large canoes in a race, the men rowing, or rather pad- 
dling with all their might — eighty strokes a minute — 
leaving quite a sea behind them. 

There was, too, a most exciting squaw race. We 
rowed alongside most of the way, and saw the women 
well ; one crew consisted of rather nice-looking young 
ones, but these did not win. 

Many of the squaws wear handsome silver bracelets, 
and a certain young lady, Amanda by name, has prom- 
ised to try and procure me a pair. 

The Commodore came home to dine with us, and we 
had a party. We were obliged to dismiss our guests 
rather early, as we embarked after they left. We drove 
to Esquimault, and when we got into the boat the three 
men-of-war suddenly illuminated. At the end of each 
yard a blue-light burst into flame, and every port was 
lighted up ; there were also some rockets. 

Thicrsday^ 24th. — I was awoke about seven by the 
thump, thump of our screw, and found we were again 
on our travels. We passed through the Georgian Bay, 



28o MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

and had all day the most lovely scenery. One part of 
the time we were in a very narrow channel, and could 
almost touch the rock on one side. About four we 
reached Nanaimo, and anchored in its harbor. We went 
out to fish for salmon, and being unsuccessful, we stopped 
a fishing-boat to ask if they had caught anything, and 
the owner immediately introduced himself as a County 
Down man. He ran away as a boy, and now turns his 
hand to anything here. He pointed to a half-breed girl 
on board, who, he said, was his daughter ; adding, " Of 
course, she's not like any of us, but she is a very good 
girl." 

Friday, 2^th. — Directly after breakfast we landed at 
Nanaimo ; it is a small place, but the inhabitants gave 
us a very kind reception. A large square place was 
built up, and decorated with flags and evergreens, and 
at one end of it the school-children were placed. There 
was an address, and then a song, written for the occa- 
sion, was sung. 

We went to the coal-mine, looked down it, and came 
on board our ship again. 

We left at one o'clock and proceeded on our journey 
north, reaching Tribune Harbor in three hours. The 
gentlemen rather expected to get some shooting, and 
directly we anchored every one appeared in sporting- 
clothes. D., the Captain, and I went in one boat, and 
landed where there was an Indian house. The inhab- 
itants promised to show us grouse and deer, but directly 
they had put us in the track they went off at a gallop 
with their own guns, and we suppose they intended to 
kill a deer, and to bring it on board to sell. 

We tramped on through the narrow path, climbing 
over fallen trees, our only pleasure being the beautiful 
view as we looked over the bay in which the Amethyst 
was anchored. When sunset was approaching, we turned 



AUG. 1876 BUTE INLET. 28 1 

back. D. and the Commodore had just unloaded, when 
three grouse rose, the first we had seen. One of them 
perched upon a tree, and sat there, so we said, " for the 
pot," and the Captain loaded and shot him; however, he 
was lost in the thick shrubs, there being no dog to find 
him. The rest of the party had no better sport, but 
they were much pleased with themselves for having 
bought some fish from an Indian; they found, however, 
upon their return to the ship, that they had purchased 
the refuse of what had already been offered on board, 
and that a great supply of better and cheaper ones had 
been laid in, 

Satu?'day, 26th. — We started in the middle of the 
night, and when we came on deck in the morning we 
found ourselves in Bute Inlet. The scenery here for 
forty miles is perfectly lovely. The channel between 
the outer belt of islands and the mainland is narrow, and 
the water very deep. On every side rise high pine-cov- 
ered hills, exhibiting the greatest variety of form and 
outline, and some of them capped with snow. 

Unfortunately the weather was bad, and got worse 
every mile we went, so that sometimes we only saw the 
tops of the mountains for a few moments before the 
mist descended upon them and they were lost to view. 

Bute Inlet is expected to be the terminus of the 
Canadian Pacific Railway, so the Governor-General 
came out of his way to see the harbor. The water is 
the most beautiful green. We saw several glaciers and 
cascades coming down the mountains. Directly we 
anchored we set out to fish. I never saw so many 
fish jump so very close to one before ; however, they 
would not look at our tempting spoons, and we caught 
nothing. 

On shore we saw the most picturesque figure. There 
was an Indian wrapped in a scarlet blanket, and with a 



282 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xv 

conical hat on his head, perching upon a large stone, his 
arms clasped round his knees. He looked like an enor- 
mous robin redbreast. D. went to speak to him, and 
when he got up we saw that the red blanket was almost 
his only covering. He produced an old sock, from 
which he extracted with pride a written paper, signed 
by an English admiral, which informed the reader that 
this Indian was a decidedly bad character, but that he 
had behaved better 'than usual on some particular occa- 
sion. 

He was in the act of making a " dug-out " — a canoe 
carved out of a tree — which lay on the shore in its un- 
finished state. D. looked into his hut — a miserable 
place open at two sides ; a woman and three children, 
and a quantity of dried fish, were in it. We gave the 
man what tobacco we had in the boat. 

Sunday, 2'jth. — Another misty and rainy day. We 
had a very nice service on board at ten o'clock, with 
good singing. We at this time were still in the Sound, 
and the scenery was very fine, but for about three hours 
in the afternoon we were in the open sea, and there were 
doubts whether we should not have to keep out to sea 
for the night, to avoid a very nasty bit of navigation in 
the dark : but the good ship Amethyst went very fast, 
and we had the pleasure of anchoring at eight in Safety 
Harbor, and having a quiet dinner. 

We found our tender waiting us here. 

Monday, 28th. — We started as usual about daylight, 
and again passed through narrow channels and most 
beautiful scenery. At ten we had some gun-practice, 
and saw shot, shell, and case fired at the rocks on shore. 
The latter is used for firing at boats, and as it leaves the 
gun it breaks up into small pieces, and powders the 
water all over with scraps ; a boat coming off could 
scarcely escape being hit. The sailors equipped them- 



AUG. 1876 ME TLA CA TLAH. 283 

selves for war, with swords and pistols, and the doctors 
prepared for broken legs and various wounds. 

We arrived at our anchorage about four o'clock, and, 
as usual, this sporting community prepared to fish and 
to shoot. We were surrounded by steep, high, pine- 
covered hills, so Fred Ward, Mr. Rowe, and a half-breed 
determined to shoot for us a deer or a bear. The Com- 
modore, D., and I went fishing, but another boat-load 
made for the little river before us. 

The bear-hunters shot a goose, the large boat-load 
caught six trout, and the Commodore and D. took a 
tremendous walk through the bush, and succeeded in 
getting to the top of a very pretty waterfall, which 
stopped their farther progress. They saw tracks both 
of deer and of bear. It rained, and I remained in the 
boat, and did nothing. 

Tuesday^ 2pt/i. — There is very little to tell of to-day, 
for the weather has been desperately bad — pouring rain, 
and much fog. We have seen nothing in the way of 
scenery, and had it not been for having our tender to 
pilot us into Metlacatlah, we should have spent the 
night at sea ; however, here we are safe at anchor. I 
saw one little sea-beast to-day; it jumped clear of the 
water several times, and showed itself plainly — a sea- 
otter. 

Metlacatlah is one of the most successful of Indian 
missions. It is entirely the work of a Mr. Duncan, who 
when he came here found the Indians in a most savage 
condition. He has lived entirely among them, and is 
regarded, by them as their father and their friend. I 
hear that the influence he has, and the real good he has 
done, is wonderful. 

We fired a cannon directly we arrived, and Mr. Dun- 
can came off to see us. He is very pleasant — bright 
and enthusiastic, good and clever — quite a model mis- 



284 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

sionary. Coming to these Indians in their most savage 
and debased condition, he has Christianized and civil- 
ized them ; he has not only taught them their religion 
and the three R's, but has himself shown them how to 
build, taught them how to trade, to make soap, to sing ; 
is their chief magistrate, and, as I said before, their 
father and friend. 

He came to Metlacatlah from Fort Simpson with fifty 
Indians, setting up a new village on this spot ; now 
there are eight hundred living here. When he first came 
the Indians were some of them cannibals, and all exer- 
cised the most horrible heathen rites and ceremonies, 
dressed in blankets, wore painted masks, had several 
wives, and knew no law. Now Metlacatlah is quieter 
than a white village of its size ; the Indians themselves 
are police, and they form a council, which settles all 
their local matters. 

Mr. Duncan amused us by telling us how he once 
bought a schooner to take furs to Victoria ; he started 
as its captain, and his crew were Indians. Neither cap- 
tain nor men knew anything about the sea, and the 
voyage is a most difficult one, and somewhat long, for 
they were out a month. 

Wed?iesday^ joth. — It was delightful, after yesterday's 
rain, to find a lovely morning, and to see the beautiful 
scenery of this place to perfection ; but I must tell you 
to-day about our visit to the Indian village of Metla- 
catlah. 

We started in boats directly after breakfast, our Staff 
being dressed in red, to please the Indians. As we ap- 
proached the shore they (the Indians) fired off two can- 
nons, and when we landed we found a very respectable 
guard-of-honor ready to present arms ; a boarded place 
had been prepared on the grass for us to stand on, and 
round it were all the inhabitants of the village. 



AUG. 1876 METLACATLAH, 285 

They had received no notic-e of our intention to visit 
them before our arrival last night, so the greater part of 
the inhabitants were absent on their summer fishing- 
tours, and we only saw about a hundred. These, instead 
of being scantily clothed in blankets, were all — men, 
women, and children — remarkably well dressed, the men 
in cloth clothes, the women in neatly made prints, with 
bright-colored handkerchiefs on their heads and shawls 
over their shoulders. They and everything we saw here 
were quite Dutch in their cleanliness. 

Mr. Duncan presented me with a silver bracelet, 
made for me by the Indians, and two silver napkin- 
rings. He gave D. a lynx robe and a beautiful black 
wolfskin, with its head and teeth perfect. The animal 
was shot outside his door in the winter. 

His assistants, Mr. and Mrs. Collinson, gave us some 
spoons carved out of horn, Indian rattles, and a carved 
box with a set of teeth, and green eyes staring out of a 
face on its side; so I had quite a cargo of gifts. Mrs. 
Collinson teaches the girls and trains them for servants, 
or rather for wives. We next saw the " Council Room," 
and in it a peculiar fireplace, which they have in all the 
cottages, and which D. would like to put into some large 
hall somewhere. It is a good-sized square, in the very 
center of the room, with the chimney directly over it. 
Every one in the room is thus able to get an equal share 
of the fire, and it looks most cheerful with people sitting 
all round it. • 

In this room Mr. Duncan and his Indian colleagues 
carry on the business of the place. Outside, there are 
gymnastics for the boys. 

The Prison stands opposite; it is a funny little tower, 
painted black below and white above. It is divided into 
two rooms, the "black" prison being more disgraceful 
than the " white." On the top of this building there is 



286 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, CH. XV 

a stand for the band ! The Church comes next, and is 
quite new, having been built entirely by Mr. Duncan 
and the Indians. It is 120 feet long by 60, and is 50 
feet high ; it is made of cedar and cypress, and is, I 
suppose, the only building of the kind to be seen any- 
where made by people so lately savage. It holds 1,200 
people, and is very handsome inside. Of course it is 
made of wood, and is perfectly simple, but the propor- 
tions and the simplicity together give quite a grand 
effect. 

The School is another very good building, and round 
its walls there are texts and pictures. The pupils all 
learn to read English, which they prefer for reading to 
their native tongue — their own words are so very long. 
They translate what they read into Tschimchyau. 

Mr, Duncan has succeeded in educating them up to 
the idea of having separate bedrooms, and houses to 
themselves, instead of living five or six families together 
in one room; and the first of his new houses has just 
been put up. We went into it, and were received by the 
master and mistress ; the former presented me with one 
of the masks they used to wear in their dances. The 
house was very nice, the floors and part of the walls 
covered with a kind of native matting. 

After making the tour of the village we returned to 
the platform. The people collected round, and sang 
''God save the Queen," and some English songs, and 
then a song about MetlaC^tlah, composed by Mr. Dun- 
can, and set to the air of " Home, Sweet Home "; also 
some English and Tschimchyau hymns. An Indian 
then read an address in English, and the chiefs signed 
it in our presence. D. replied, Mr. Duncan taking down 
his speech, and translating it' afterwards. He speaks 
their language perfectly, while many Englishmen only 
learn a jargon called Chinook, which is a sort of " pigeon 



AUG. 1876 FORT SIMPSON. 28/ 

English," intended for trading purposes, and quite unfit 
to explain the mysteries of a new religion. 

Close to the wharf there is a large^ empty room, 
which is used for stray Indians who arrive here, and 
who may have sickness among them. Mr. Duncan has 
put up a saw-mill, and I think I told you the Indians 
make soap ; the traders used to ask them a dollar for 
a piece the width of a finger ! This manufactory is not 
working at present, and the Indians came off in canoes 
to the ship, and asked for soap, instead of money, for 
furs. Great exchanges were made by the men on the 
ship — furs for old clothes. 

We were obliged to leave this most interesting place 
at one o'clock, as we were to visit Fort Simpson, the 
most northern station of British America on the Pacific 
coast. 

We went there in our tender, the Douglas. Fort 
Simpson borders on Alaska, and that country lay before 
us as we entered the harbor. The view from the Fort 
is most beautiful. 

Unfortunately, the Governor of the Fort and the 
missionary were both away, and few of the Indians 
were at home. Most of them are Christians here, but 
they are not nearly so civilized as at Metlacatlah. 

The Fort is surrounded by a sort of inclosed court, 
and Mrs, Crosby, the missionary's wife, took us through 
the village, where we saw for the first time some ex- 
traordinary monuments put up to Indian chiefs. The 
subjects are, I suppose, symbolical, but to us they ap- 
pear grotesque. 

The most curious one we saw was an enormous bare 
pole, on the top of which was carved and painted in 
gigantic size a grinning head. The body was that of a 
bird with its wings spread out, and on each wing and 
on its breast a naked baby or imp ; underneath was 



288 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xv 

nailed a long cloth apron ornamented with buttons. 
Another pole had a dog at the top and a queer face 
carved below. These poles are said to cost the Indians 
about ;£^3oo apiece — that is to say, they will give away 
blankets to that amount for the privilege of putting 
one up. 

We went into some of the houses ; they consist of 
one very large room, with the square fire in the center, 
the rafters being made of the most enormous trees. 
His Ex. spoke to the Indians, and they made a reply, 
which Mrs. Morrison (who is a half-breed) translated. 

We had a very short time to stay here, and were soon 
in the Doitglas again, on our way back to Metlacatlah. 
Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Collinson dined with us. An 
Indian chief came with them in order to present D. with 
the hat his father used to wear in the feasts and dances. 
It is three feet high, made of strips of thuja-bark plaited 
together, and jointed so as to sway about with every 
movement of the dancer. The man valued it very much, 
and Mr. Duncan told us that, although he has known 
him for years, he never saw the hat before. He says 
many of the others had presents ready for us, but we 
had not time to go to the houses. 

Thursday^ 31st. — We were to have started at day- 
break, but there was a thick fog, which only lifted at 
9.30 ; after that the day was beautiful, and we had a 
splendid passage over to Queen Charlotte's Islands. I 
suppose this is the wildest place I shall ever be at. It 
is solely inhabited by Indians, and as yet there is no 
missionary among them ; but Mr. Collinson is coming 
here from Metlacatlah. 

We anchored opposite a village which, in the distance, 
looked like a forest of bare poles. These poles are 
heraldic, and are the monuments to chiefs that I told 
you of before. Every house seems to have one — and, 



SEPT. 1876 A TRADING SETTLEMENT. 289 

as I think I said, they are highly valued — as symbols of 
rank. Some are carved the whole way up with gro- 
tesque figures and faces, some are painted ; and in many 
houses the door is a part of the pattern of the pillar, 
and is an oval hole, through which you see the pictur- 
esque Indian figures appearing. When a man dies, 
his friends destroy his house, leaving the framework 
and the pillar, and make a little hut for the dead body 
to lie in, with a blanket nailed before it. We saw 
one with two canoes outside, ready to take the owner 
across the " silent lake." On one house were two fig- 
ures with tall hats and frock-coats — missionaries evi- 
dently. 

Friday, September ist. — D. and the Commodore started 
at six in the morning, with some Indians, to try and get 
a bear, but they saw nothmg. The Freds and I went to 
a little trading settlement, where an American is buying 
oil. The Indians were in tents and lying about the 
shore ; the day was lovely and warm, and we had great 
fun bargaining, buying silver bracelets and carved bowls 
from them. They have a market at Victoria, and ask a 
good deal, but the American knew what w^e ought to 
give ; and when we came back to the ship, and exhibited 
our bracelets to an Indian who was trading here, he did 
not seem at all pleased, and would not let me have 
another bracelet which I wanted so cheap. It was so 
amusing on board to see all the buying and selling going 
on, furs and bracelets, old clothes, soap, tobacco, and 
biscuits being exchanged, while hideous faces, painted 
black or red, looked up from the canoes. 

The people here all seem to paint their faces, and 
they wear blankets, which they, unfortunately, buy 
white, so that they are generally very dirty-looking. 
D. is rather sorry now that he did not stay and see more 
of the fun here. He returned at 2 p. m., and we are off 



290 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xv 

again. You may see by my writing that the screw is at 
work. 

Saturday^ 2d. — We had beautiful weather, and were 
able to enjoy the evening ; but the night was somewhat 
rough. A fog this morning, and many doubts as to 
whether we could go on at all, or whether we should 
have to go out to sea — a very unpleasant prospect. We 
had just turned back, when we met our little friend, the 
Douglas.^ and, as she draws less water, she undertook to 
show us the way. We were off Vancouver Island, and 
wanted to pass between it and . the mainland. The fog 
came on very thick, and we lost sight of the Douglas^ 
and stopped again ; then the mist suddenly lifted, and 
we were immediately able to go on at full speed — a 
great delight and relief to us all. 

There are two things I forgot to say about the In- 
dians. One is, that at Metlacatlah they are rapidly in- 
creasing in population, whereas in most other places 
they are diminishing in numbers. Then, I don't think 
I told you about the hideous way in which many of the 
old women have their lips stuck out, by means of pieces 
of wood, which are put in when they are babies, and 
changed for larger bits as they grow old ; so that some- 
times the tablets are the size of a spoon, and are used 
as such. In the case of too hot a morsel, it is laid down 
upon this convenient dumb-waiter, and is tipped up into 
the mouth when cool. Other women have a hole in the 
lower lip, through which a silver pin appears ; this is a 
movable ornament. 

The fog this morning detained us so long that we 
found it impossible to get to the harbor, in which v/e 
had intended to stop the night ; so it was suddenly de- 
termined to anchor in Alert Bay, which we accordingly 
did. W^e had an hour to spare before dinner, so we 
landed to see the Indian village there. We found a 



SEPT. 1876 ALERT BAY, 29 1 

great number of people, sitting in front of their houses 
— large buildings, with whitewashed fronts. They were 
wrapped in blankets, with handkerchiefs tied round their 
heads. We walked straight through them to the last 
house, which was the chief's. Oh, the smell ! This 
house had a very Egyptian-looking painting in black all 
over it, and when we went in we found a great square 
room, with fires in three corners, and three sets of peo- 
ple sitting round them. In the center was a wooden fig- 
ure of a man, holding out his hand to welcome visitors. 
We went up to one group and saw the chief, who, how- 
ever, appeared to be stupid ; and his son was lying on 
his back playing an accordion. The other people were 
eating berries and flour-and-water round the fire ; they 
showed us some masks, but did not appear much inter- 
ested in us, though they had fired off two cannon on our 
arrival, and had whitewashed their houses on the chance 
of our coming. 

The trader who lives there soon explained it all. 
They had been having one of their most savage orgies, 
and had been singing, dancing, and feasting for six days. 
This very morning their " medicine-man " had been out 
on the rampage, and in his tantrums had bitten six peo- 
ple. On these occasions he rushes out of the house 
naked, and all the people are bound to run away ; but, 
if caught, they stand still to be bitten, as they consider 
it a great honor. The trader said : '' If you had come 
two hours sooner you would have seen the most terrible 
phase of savage life " ; but I don't think we should, for 
the moment the man-of-war came in sight they quieted 
down, hid their drunken people, and allowed their medi- 
cine-man to escape into the woods. 

Drink is at the. bottom of much of the misery. In 
Canada there is a fine of $500 for selling spirit to In- 
dians, but here they get it from American traders. 
20 



292 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. XV 

Sunday^ j^. — We had a lovely day, and after morning 
service went through the last danger on this route — the 
Seymour Narrows. There are several whirlpools formed 
by a rapid tide in this very narrow channel, and an 
American man-of-war was lost in them not long ago. 

We anchored in Tribune Harbor, and took a nice 
walk over the cliffs, returning in time for dinner. 

Monday^ 4th. — This is the last day of our voyage in 
the Amethyst. 

When we arrived at Burrard's Inlet we saw the 
Rocket^ and the sight of her told us that our mail was in. 
Not having heard for a long time, we were all delighted. 
In the evening, by another steamer, two more mails ar- 
rived, and when I went to bed I had quite a headache 
from reading letters. I had forty myself — so many from 
the children, etc. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CALIFORNIA, AND THE SALT LAKE 

CITY. 

Tuesday^ September ^th. — The repose of a sea-life is 
over ; posts and telegrams, addresses, replies, arches, 
bands and salutes are alive again. 

Almost before we had finished our breakfast we were 
hurried into boats, and put on board the Douglas^ and in 
her we steamed along for an hour, reading up the news 
in the papers. Later we got into boats and canoes, and 
landed in the bush, where we went to see a great tree 
cut down. Our time being short, our host, Mr. Raymur, 
had chosen a tree near the water, and he made many- 
apologies for its small size; but as it was 250 feet high, 
and about six feet in diameter, we thought it enormous. 
It had been partially cut through, and we stood by to 
see its overthrow. Two men were working at it. They 
stood each upon a spring-board, on either side of the 
tree. These boards were narrow planks stuck into holes 
about twelve feet up the trunk (for they say the lower 
part of the trunk is too hard to repay the labor of hack- 
ing through it) ; the spring-board gives the workman 
great power with his axe. 

In about ten minutes the monster began slowly to 
bend to one side, and then a crashing and a great thud 
upon the ground announced its downfall. According to 
its rings it was 400 years old, and planted in the reign of 
King Edward IV. 



294 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL CH. xvi 

We set off again in our boats to the Amethyst^ where 
we had a lunch still more hurried than the breakfast. 
The Douglas towed us in the ship's boats, and as we went 
very fast, and the water was full of pieces of timber, we 
had quite an exciting voyage, trying to avoid a blow 
from one of these. 

We landed at a wharf, and got into carriages, which 
took us eight miles over a corduroy road through the 
primeval forest. Our destination was New Westmin- 
ster, and when we arrived within the precincts of the 
city we were met by the Mayor, a guard of honor, and 
a band, and passed under arches decorated with flags. 
There were some very pretty devices, and two rather 
amusing ones. D.'s motto was very happily combined 
with the great political question of the day — " which 
route the Pacific Railway is to take " — " Per Vias Rec- 
tas. The Fraser Valley." Another had " Speed the Rail- 
way " written upon a board, above which a little train 
moved along as we passed. 

We had a short way to drive, and turned up a grass 
hill, at the top of which a series of platforms were ar- 
ranged, covered in with flags, and decorated with ever- 
greens ; the view over the Fraser River, the town, and 
the distant mountains was quite beautiful. The whole 
town was out, and there was besides a great assembly of 
Indians. After various varieties of white men had pre- 
sented addresses and been replied to, and after numbers 
had been shaken hands with, we looked down the hill, 
and saw a mass of flags marching up ; the bearers of 
these gay banners were all Indian chiefs, or great men, 
followed by a set of Indian Volunteers, who had got them- 
selves into a very smart blue uniform, and were com- 
manded by the owner of an old red coat and a pair of 
epaulets. The chiefs formed into a circle, while the army 
remained in a column, and stood facing the platform. 



SEPT. 1876 A SPEECH IN MANY TONGUES. 295 

D. went down and shook hands with the chiefs, and then 
returned to the platform and listened to the speeches of 
four of them, every sentence of each being translated 
by an interpreter into English. 

When it was his turn to reply, D. spoke one sentence, 
which was taken up by five interpreters, who each, in 
turn, put it into some new Indian tongue. The process 
was long, but it was interesting. These poor people 
have been waiting here for the Governor-General for 
nearly three weeks, and have taken great pains to get 
themselves up for the occasion. 

There was lunch in a tent, and after it we walked 
down to the river, and saw three very good canoe-races. 
One set of boats had twenty-one Indians in each. At 
six o'clock we made a move to go to the steamer upon 
which we sleep. On our way we passed under a Chinese 
arch, and got out of the carriage to speak to some of 
the people about. After parting with the officials, we 
amused ourselves in our own fashion, and seeing a great 
sturgeon at a fishmonger's, we went in to look at it ; he 
showed us more than a hundred salmon he had in store, 
and asked us if we should like to see some caught that 
night ; which invitation we accepted. 

D. had a long talk with various gentlemen on busi- 
ness before dinner. After it we stood on the roof of our 
drawing-room on the steamer to see a most beautiful 
torch-light display by the Indians in canoes. We steamed 
up a little way, and then back, the canoes following, 
their torches looking very brilliant in the darkness and 
reflected in the water. Some men on foot, also with 
torches, ran along the banks, and the town was illumi- 
nated. Before the lights disappeared there was cheer- 
ing, and " God save the Queen." 

After this we retired into private life, and prepared 
to go out fishing. Conducted by our friend the fish- 



296 ^y^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

monger, Mr. Herring, we got into a boat, Mrs. Herring 
coming with us to do the honors. We followed Mr. 
Herring, who, in a second boat, put down a great net, 
which we saw him take in. We caught six fine salmon 
and a sturgeon, and it really was great fun. When we 
landed we walked under the Chinese arch again, and 
were amused by their lanterns, which had little animals 
going round and round inside, jumping and moving their 
legs — so cleverly managed. Sir Matthew Begbie joined 
us here, and goes with us for some way. All glad to get 
to bed. 

Wednesday^ 6th. — Our steamer started at night up the 
Fraser River. She is a stern-wheeler, and has capital 
accommodation. 

The scenery of the Fraser is lovely. I am quite tired 
of writing this, and it is impossible to convey an idea of 
the luxe of beautiful views there is in this country. Un- 
til we reached Yale the only event of the day was to be 
called out to see some magnificent one. We stopped a 
few minutes at Hope, a charmmg little place, and got to 
our destination — Yale — in the afternoon. A coach-and- 
six (in which we travel for a week) took us up to Mr. 
Oppenheim's house, where we are to sleep. On the way 
we stopped to receive a Chinese address, written on pink 
paper, and an Indian one. The decorations were won- 
derful for such a small place ; the most original being a 
live horse, which was placed in the way, with a cloth 
over it, on which was written, " Good, but not iron," in 
allusion to the celebrated railway. 

The Oppenheims had a banquet for us, cooked by a 
Frenchman from Victoria — very good, but so plentiful 
that Nowell managed to suppress some dishes behind 
the scenes. 

Mrs. Oppenheim, though French, is like a motherly 
English woman, and I liked her very much. They have 



SEPT. 1876 THE FRASER RIVER. 29/ 

a very nice- house and no children, but have a nephew 
living with them, and I was so surprised when I asked 
her what profession the young man was ; she said " a 
blacksmith." He did not dine with us, but with the 
servants, who did not know who he was until my maid 
discovered his photograph hung up in my bedroom. 

Thursday, yth. — After breakfast we started on our 
journey. Unfortunately, it rained on and off all day, 
but except that the views would, most of them, be pret- 
tier in sunshine, the wet was not sufficient to damp our 
enjoyment. Just before leaving, an Indian woman 
brought me a pin made of a gold nugget. 

We set off in a large carriage, which held six inside 
and three on the box ; the servants had gone before us, 
and D. and I, the Commodore, the Chief Justice, the 
Colonel, and the Freds, went in this coach, drawn by four 
horses. We had forty-four miles to drive, and the road 
is a wonderful piece of engineering : a wall of rock on 
one side, and a great precipice upon the other, almost 
the whole way, with every now and then a sharp turn 
round some fearful bluff, where, looking forward, the 
road seemed to end, and there was nothing but the river 
to be seen, a hundred feet below. We were following 
the Fraser all day. The river itself is muddy, but very 
rapid, with mountains almost precipitous on either side. 

It was very curious to see the little Indian fishing 
establishments on the way. Wherever there was a rock 
rising a little above the water, there you were sure to 
see a scaffolding, upon which were hung rows and rows 
of dried fish, and near it a sort of spring-board jutting 
out into the water, upon which a man stood over the 
stream, and dipped a net, shaped like a snow-shoe, 
into it ; we saw one man bring up a large trout, and 
cheered him from the carriage. Another curious thing 
we saw was a sort of house in which the Indians winter. 



298 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

A large hole is cut in the ground, and covered over with 
a round roof ; in the top of this there is a hole, through 
which a notched pole is stuck, and by this the people go 
down — and through it the smoke comes up. 

We lunched at a place called Boston Bar, and D. 
took several portraits of Indians there. They were a 
different type from those we have seen before : instead 
of very fat faces, they have thin ones, and large, but 
not coarse, mouths. As we approached our camp we 
saw a most beautiful mountain view ; down the sides of 
the precipitous hills there were streaks of light green, 
the rest being very dark fir ; light clouds of mist float- 
ing about, and the river, far below, flowing rapidly along. 
We got out at one place to look at Hell's Gate, where 
the Fraser rushes through a very narrow pass. We 
passed several teams of sixteen oxen, and some with 
twelve mules, drawing two wagons fastened together. 

When we arrived at our sleeping-place, which had 
been arranged by Captain Layton, a village came in 
sight ! Our tents are on the side of a hill, 800 feet 
above the river, and when we walked up the little path 
made to them, we found a large dining-room tent, car- 
peted, the walls hung with chintz, and ornamented with 
green; and out of this my bedroom, fitted with every 
luxury ! Outside the dining-room a row of ten tents — 
one for each gentleman, to sleep in — and a public dress- 
ing-room. 

A great camp-fire is burning, the Chinese cook is at 
work at another fire, and a lovely view lies before us. 

I was a little tired after the long journey, and was 
very glad of the good dinner we had. After it we sat 
round the fire; the Indians joined the circle, and passed 
a stone pipe from one to another. 

I have retired from the fire to write this, but it is 
impossible to do justice to the day so hurriedly. I have 



SEPT. 1876 AN INDIAN ESCORT. 299 

not mentioned a waterfall, perfectly straight, down an 
enormously high cliff. The road really is rather awful, 
and I got great credit for my courage in driving over it. 

Friday^ 8th. — We breakfasted in our spacious camp 
at seven o'clock — to the tune, alas! of a pattering rain 
— and in half an hour set off on our drive. The rain 
kept on all day more or less, the weather luckily being 
least wet at the most important moments. The road 
was, I thought, rather worse than before, being equally 
precipitous and narrow, and much softer and more slip- 
pery-looking. Before we reached Lytton we met a great 
assembly of Indians, who had built an arch close to a 
little church they have there. There were about 500, of 
whom 200 men and women were on horseback ; numbers 
of foals were following, and the neighing and excitement 
among the horses was as great as that among the men. 
An Indian had met us about three miles from the town, 
and said, " Tayee ? " (chief). "Yes," was the reply 
from our carriage, and off he started on his way to tell 
them we were coming. Such a motley and picturesque 
assembly : every sort of color and dress ; curious caps, 
made of handkerchiefs tied on in every possible way ; 
fur caps, made apparently of a whole animal, though 
some were merely a strip of fur tied round the head ; 
and every face a study. The women rode astride, but 
had a blanket so neatly laid over the knees, and tucked 
into the stirrup at each foot, and sat so well, and were 
so much at home on their saddles, that they looked 
charming. Sometimes there were two on a horse, and 
many a mother and child sat together on one. The 
men's saddles were often a good deal ornamented. 

The missionary read an address, and *' God save the 
Queen " was sung in Indian. We visited the church, 
and shook hands a good deal, and then rode on, the 
troop after us, to Lytton, where D. ordered beef and 



300 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

flour for the Indians. Here the whites had an address 
and an arch, and we stopped a few moments. 

After we left it the Indians followed for some way, 
and we handed out tobacco to the women who came 
nearest, young and old being glad of it. 

You can't think what a pretty sight it was ! We 
were two large coaches-and-four, and a great procession 
of these curious riders, talking and laughing, following 
after us. Their horses are very small, but very good, 
have plenty of work, and are never ill. Just before 
lunch we met another, smaller troop of horse-men and 
women ; one girl, with a yellow handkerchief on her 
head, was very tall, and looked very handsome as she 
rode along. 

We have now left the Fraser River, and are on the 
Thompson. I must tell you about some Indian graves 
we saw on the way. One was a lean-to shed, under which 
the body or bodies were laid, and in front of the grave 
were three tin pans ; outside the shed, facing the road, 
stood three wooden figures, a man and two women, 
dressed up in the clothes of the deceased. On a tree 
close by hung a quantity of horse-skins. When a man 
dies, his friends eat a few of his horses, and hang up 
their skins, so that he may ride upon them to the Happy 
Land. Another grave we saw was surrounded by a pal- 
ing, inside of which was a figure of a woman, dressed, a 
small cross by her side.* 

We arrived at Mr. and Mrs. Cornwall's house after a 
twelve hours' drive, and in a pouring rain, rather tired. 
I am sorry to say Mr. Cornwall is not at home, having 
most unfortunately had a very bad accident on his way 
here to prepare for us. His horse shied on the road over 

* We heard afterwards that these figures had had new cotton dresses 
put on them in our honor. 



SEPT. 1876 A CA VALCADE OF INDIANS. 301 

which we have just come, and he went over a precipice, 
happily in one of the least dangerous places to be found 
on the way. He broke his leg, while his companion 
rolled down twenty-five feet, and escaped with a few 
scratches. Mr. Cornwall had to be taken back to Vic- 
toria to have the leg set. Mrs. Cornwall has a very 
young baby, and her brother and sister-in-law are help- 
ing her to do the honors. They have made D. and me 
very comfortable in their house, and were most kind. 
The rest of the party are lodged elsewhere. 

Saturday^ pth. — We left the Cornwalls' before 10 a. m., 
and again embarked in our coaches. At last the sun 
shone upon us, and we were able to dismiss from our minds 
all thoughts of umbrellas and waterproofs. The country 
here is very curious : there are low hills and rolling 
plains which to a stranger look barren, but which really 
support cattle all the year round, and certainly produce 
the best beef and mutton I ever ate. One carries away 
from this district the idea of a great sandhill of a yel- 
lowish tinge, cut into terraces, valleys, mounds, and ap- 
parently carved all over by ancient watercourses. Could 
it be irrigated, the land would be very valuable ; but as 
it is there is scarcely any cultivation, and the only crop 
is bunch-grass. Though it produces such good beef, I 
can't tell you how many acres it requires to feed one cow, 
and the animal has quite a walk to take between one 
tuft of grass and another. 

We had not left our starting-point long when all the 
colors of the rainbow on horseback appeared before us, 
and, with shouts and drums and neighing of horses, we 
were surrounded by a cavalcade of Indians. The next 
half-hour was one of the greatest excitement. I never 
saw anything so delightful as the sight of these men, 
women, and children, waving their flags, horses and 
foals galloping up and down the low hills, around 



302 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

US, while our two coaches drove steadily along the 
road. 

Some of the figures were most interesting to watch. 
There was one man with a square drum, which he beat 
as he galloped along, his legs keeping time, and his body 
dancing on the saddle. The chief was a remarkably 
handsome old man, with a majestic air and a fine seat 
on horseback. He wore a red uniform, and the whole 
costume was, strange to say, complete, and unspoiled by 
any vagary of his own taste. Another wore a blue coat, 
deer-skin leggings, and a fur cap, and carried a scepter 
mounted with silver. Several women had babies before 
them, and bigger children tied on behind ; and you may 
imagine how the baby's head wagged as its mother gal- 
loped along ! The people ride splendidly, and I did so 
enjoy seeing them scampering over the ground. 

After much cantering and skirmishing we arrived at 
an inn and a shop, where we got out of the coach to speak 
to the people, and to buy them flour, sugar, and tobacco. 

These Indians are very bright and intelligent-look- 
ing. We shook hands with a great many of them, and 
particularly admired the " British General " — the hand- 
some chief I told you of. I looked to see if the babies' 
heads were all right, and I found one poor old lady who 
had been galloping along in this furious fashion with 
her hand and arm swelled with rheumatism. I got her 
a warm shawl at the store. The whole assembly fol- 
lowed us a mile or two farther, when they collected on 
the top of a small hill, waved their flags, and disappeared. 
Four of them — a woman and three men — came on the 
whole way to the Lake. 

After passing through arid plains, we suddenly came 
upon a glassy sheet of water, into which, and out of 
which, the river Thompson flowed. We got on board a 
steamer, and as usual found every comfort and luxury 



SEPT. 1876 KAMLOOPS. 303 

surrounding us : pictures in our cabins, books of poetry 
on the tables, rocking-chairs, and good beds. 

We steamed along for three hours, when we arrived 
at Kamloops. On one bank of the river we saw a 
quantity of white men and Indians on horseback, and 
just as we were going to land our attention was called 
to the other bank (we had got into the Thompson), 
where about five hundred wild horses were being driven 
down to the water. D. landed, and drove up in a car- 
riage-and-four to a platform, where he found me (I hav- 
ing walked up) and some other ladies. The platform 
was close to an arch, and the carriage was surrounded 
by all the people on horseback. I was presented vnth a 
bouquet by a young lady who had been a school-girl at 
Clandeboye when I was married. She and some aunts 
and uncles live here, and our meeting was quite exciting. 

There were addresses, etc., and D. went a short 
drive, and then returned to the steamer, where the In- 
dians followed him, and stood on the banks chanting a 
sort of psalm. 

A deputation kept His Excellency for some time, and 
Ah Sam (our cook) got so impatient, and so fearful that 
his dinner would be spoiled, that in spite of every one he 
sounded a gong (upon a tin pan), as a hint to the people 
to go. 

I must tell you that a lady at Kamloops was warned 
in a dream to give me a beautiful pin, made of a nugget 
(not the one I mentioned before), which she accordingly 
did. 

Sunday^ loth. — We had prayers before breakfast in 
the cabin, and soon after steamed across to the opposite 
shore to visit the Indians. 

There was rather an interesting " Pow-wow." They 
have had a land grievance in this province, which is 
serious to them, and they set it before the Governor- 



304 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xvl 

General in a very grave and dignified manner. They 
seemed pleased to have the opportunity of seeing him, 
and, although he made them no promises, I think they 
felt that they had secured a friend at court. The con- 
versation over, D., Fred, and Colonel Littleton mounted 
some of the Indian horses in order to visit the Reserve, 
and although they did not find the Mexican saddles at 
all comfortable, they enjoyed their ride very much. 
" Louie," the chief, showed them all his carrots, onions, 
potatoes, etc., and, once the " Pow-wow " was over, be- 
came very cheerful, and made them gallop along at a 
great pace. 

They returned for lunch, and afterwards rode again 
on the Kamloops side of the lake. D. got a long way 
up the hill, and had a good view of the country, and the 
remainder of the party walked. Mr. Dewdney and Mr. 
Vernon dined with us. 

I must tell you a story of Ah Sam. Captain Layton 
had slept on shore last night, but as we start very early 
to-morrow he wished to have a cabin in the steamer, so 
he said to Ah Sam : " You take your mattress, and put 
it on the floor somewhere, as I am going to sleep here 
to-night." " Oh," says Ah Sam, " me workee hard, Cap- 
tain Layton no work ; me want good bed ; if Captain 
Layton get in first, he have it ; if me get in first, me have 
it." So at nine o'clock the whole saloon was disturbed 
by the snores of Ah Sam, who retired very early indeed 
to make sure of keeping the bed. He is a great char- 
acter, and always takes his boots off in the coach, lest 
he should be made to walk up the hills. 

Monday, nth. — I was awoke by the stern-wheel, which 
is immediately behind my cabin, and which shakes one 
more than any screw. We were starting, and about 
seven we stopped at a place where most of the party 
landed to shoot ; the steamer went on, and the Commo- 



SEPT. 1876 DOWN THE THOMPSON RIVER. 305 

dore and I breakfasted at nine, and went out fishing at 
Savernagh's Ferry, in the Thompson River. The trout 
were only just beginning to rise when the steamer whis- 
tled for us, and we had to go back. The sportsmen had 
had a beautiful walk, and brought home five and a half 
brace of the " sharp-tailed grouse," and we all enjoyed 
our morning very much. 

We embarked at noon in our coach, and parted with 
the Chief-Justice at Cache Creek, on his way to Cariboo. 
I then got on the box (or " fore-top," as we call it, having 
just come from the Amethyst) to see Mr. Tingley drive : 
this was an easy part of the road, so I thought it a good 
place to take a front seat. 

We got to Mr. Cornwall's at six, and all dined there, 
D. and I remaining to sleep. We had a most lovely 
day. 

Tuesday^ 12th. — We got away early ; a beautiful 
bright morning. On the road we met many Indians, and 
gave away much tobacco and shook hands a good deal. 
The old ladies are so animated ; they shake both hands 
before you, talking all the time, and continue the mo- 
tion with head and hands, when you give them tobacco, 
saying, or rather making a noise like, "tu-choo." 

At Lytton we caught up the second coach ; some of 
the passengers had felt the heat so much that it made 
them sick, but we did not mind it at all. D., the Colo- 
nel, and the Commodore stopped and bathed in the 
Thompson. We are returning the same way we came, 
and are enjoying the beautiful scenery in the fine 
weather. Having plenty of time to spare, and passing 
one of those fishing-stations I told you of, we scrambled 
down the bank to see the man at work. His implement 
was like a very long landing-net, and he stood on the 
most rickety little spring-board platform over the rush- 
ing stream, and put his net into the water, drawing it 



3o6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvi 

down stream as far as he could reach ; when he felt a 
fish in it, he let go a string, which allowed the net to 
run down the frame, and to shut up the fish in a regular 
bag. Our gentlemen tried to do it, but they nearly- 
tumbled into the river, and could not manage it at all. 

I again got on the box, and drove over the worst 
piece of the road — such awful turns, and such a preci- 
pice at the edge of the narrow road ! It certainly re- 
quires good driving, and the coachman has to work hard 
all the time. We reached our camp at six, and in an 
hour were at dinner and a splendid camp-fire. 

Wednesday^ ijfh. — I got up at six to look out at a cu- 
rious effect of fog. We are about 800 feet above the 
river. The morning was bright and lovely, all the 
mountains clear, and an extensive view lay before me ; 
but when I looked down at the Fraser, instead of its 
muddy stream I beheld a beautiful river of soft cloud ! 
This layer of fog must have been 200 or 300 feet thick, 
as we could tell by the trees on the banks, and it was 
the prettiest thing I ever saw in the way of mist. 

We had a very successful journey back to Yale, and 
D. and I sat on the box for the last hour of the way. 
The driver and all the Yaleites were delighted that we 
had enjoyed the trip, and were not frightened ; and the 
coachman's testimony to my courage during the perilous 
drive to Kamloops was " that I hadn't a scare in me." 
We drove down to the steamer Royal City, and had the 
Oppenheims to dine with us. 

Thursday, 14th. — The stern-wheel awoke us about 6 
A. M. It gives the most odious motion to the steamer. 
About eleven we got to New Westminster, which D. 
thinks should be the terminus of the new Pacific Rail- 
way, and the Mayor came on board, and presented me 
with photographs of all the arches. The Commodore 
left us here, and we went on a little farther to join the 



SEPT. 1876 VICTORIA. 307 

Douglas^ upon which steamer I have been scribbling 
this. 

We had a very smooth passage of about twenty miles 
to Victoria, where we found it raining heavily. This 
only made our drawing-room, with its fire and lights, 
look more than ever comfortable after all our traveling ; 
and then the delight of finding a mail waiting, and a 
nice quiet hour for reading our letters ! 

Friday^ i^tJi. — Fred Ward, who is " housekeeper," has 
ordered up the prisoners from the Penitentiary to " pluck 
chickens " for the ball ; it is the custom here, and this 
morning, when we walked into the ball-room, we found 
six prisoners, with chains to their legs, and an armed 
man standing over them, polishing the floor. 

D. was, as usual, shut up with some argumentative 
Victorian till 4.30 p. m., when I got him out for a little 
drive, and we walked home. 

Saturday, i6th. — After lunch we went to a rifle- 
match. His Ex. gave away his medals, and we saw 
some " company " there. The Commodore joined us, 
and we walked home. In the evening we attended an 
amateur concert* 

Monday, i8th. — Prisoners all busy, preparing for the 
ball. Fred brought the head gardener into the drawing- 
room to give him some directions about flowers, and 
was about to take him to the dining-room, when he said, 
"I can't leave that man here; he's a convict." There 
was a storm last night, and the weather looks bad. 

We visited the High School, received an address, 
and replied. D. presented some medals for competition, 
which were unexpected, and gave great pleasure. We 
then called upon the ex-Governor, Mr. Trutch, to see 
his mother, an old lady of seventy-seven, who is dying 
to come to the ball, but can not get her doctor's per- 
mission to do so. I rested in the afternoon, and at seven 
21 



3o8 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

we had a very merry little dinner in a small room. There 
was a rumor that the great Ah Sam was drunk, and that 
the supper would be very bad; but the dinner was all 
right, so we felt some hope. The guests were invited at 
8.30, and soon after nine D. and I came down to open 
the ball. The room is a very nice one, and we had had 
all the windows taken out, and a sort of corridor tent of 
canvas, lined with flags, put up the whole way round the 
outside, which added greatly to the available space. I 
must say I enjoyed the ball very much, and I think 
every one else did. We all danced from 9.30 till three 
without intermission, and as fathers, mothers, daughters, 
and sons are all equally dancing-mad here, and as we 
had a great number of naval officers, and were in our- 
selves an element of novelty to the Victorians, and they 
were new to us, there was a great deal of spirit in the 
ball. When every one else had gone, we had some more 
supper and a talk ; the former was very good, and Ah 
Sam had been maligned. 

Tuesday^ ipth. — We breakfasted at eleven, and had to 
start immediately after for the Esquimault Dockyard ; 
the Commodore went on first, and received us there 
with the officials belonging to it. D. was to drive in the 
first pile of a new dry dock ; and when this ceremony, 
which was performed by the aid of steam, was accom- 
plished, we went over the stores, and then to lunch. 
The croquet-ground was covered in with sails and flags, 
and the tables were laid on it. Our health was drunk, 
and D.'s reply was very successful, containing a little 
chaff about the way in which he has been shut up every 
and all day with the male portion of the population of 
Victoria — which amused them immensely. 

When all was over we went to see the Rocket — a gun- 
boat — and then drove home, the Commodore returning 
to the Amethyst. ' ■- 



SEPT. 1876 SAN FRANCISCO, 309 

Wednesday^ 20th. — Such a day of labor ! D. very busy 
from 7 A. M. preparing for a very important speech ; at 
eleven the deputation came, and he spoke till 2.30 ; then 
lunch, and off to the Cathedral to attend the christening 
of a baby — " Frederick Temple Cornwall." Then on to 
a public picnic on Beacon Hill ; there were numbers of 
people there, and we stayed an hour, and said good-by 
to all we knew. Fred and I then came on board the 
Amethyst^ and D. went back to Government House to see 
that the speech was ready for the press. Some mistake had 
been made in reporting it, and he found it in such hope- 
less confusion that he did not get away till quite late, miss- 
ing the dinner on board, and half the performance which 
was given for us. The officers had got up some songs and 
glees, and afterwards we had some Christy Minstrels, 
which were very amusing. 

Thursday, 21st. — The morning was lovely, and D., 
having finished his business, was able to enjoy himself. 
The Commodore took me for a row, and he went on 
board the Douglas, where there was a party to see us off. 
We started at twelve, accompanied by the little steamer, 
and had much waving of handkerchiefs before parting 
with her. 

I regret to say that I was not able to appear at din- 
ner, and that, one by one, those who sat down disap- 
peared from the table. We had a very rough night, and 
half the officers and sailors were ill. 

The mail steamer Dakota started an hour after us, 
bent upon beating us. 

Saturday, 23d. — Beautiful weather, and all decidedly 
better. 

San Francisco : Sunday, 24th. — Anchored at 7 a. m., 
and have won the race against the Dakota. We stayed on 
board for church, and then said a temporary " good-by " 
to the ship and her officers, and came ashore to the hotel. 



3IO MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

Mondays 2^th. — At twelve o'clock we went on board 
the Amethyst again, the ward-room officers having asked 
us to lunch with them. They are all so civil and kind, 
and received us most hospitably ; we are sorry to part. 
After our farewells were made to our hosts, we set off 
again, accompanied by the Commodore, on another little 
expedition. General McDowell met us, and we went by 
train with him southward for an hour ; at the station 
we had a carriage-and-four, and drove to the house of a 
Mr. Mills. This was to show us a Californian home ; 
and certainly, after passing through the sandy hills, it 
was refreshing to come upon a little oasis of brilliant 
green, and tropical plants. The house was as nice a 
show-house as I have seen : some good pictures, and 
bedrooms really liveable in, in spite of magnificent 
monograms in the center of each pillow-case. All the 
country round looks burned up, and yellow and sandy, 
while the place itself is fresh, green, gay with flower-beds, 
and dignified by very handsome evergreen oaks and enor- 
mous bay-trees. We had to hurry away from it, and get 
into our carriage, to drive to Mr. Sharon's. 

It was too late for us to see the grounds, but I am 
now in a position to tell you something of a Californian 
merchant's home, and society. 

The house was built by a certain Mr. Ralston, and on 
his death it became the property of his partner, Mr. 
Sharon, who was a miner, has twice been a millionaire, 
and twice has lost all, this being his third enjoyment of 
a great fortune. He owns a gigantic hotel, another al- 
most as big in San Francisco, a large house in town, this 
country place, and a big house at Washington, not to 
mention various little mines and railways ; and he is here 
considered as the merchant-prince of 'Frisco. 

We were shown into the hall, which at first gave 
the impression of a small house, though opening into 



SEPT. 1876 A CALIFORNIAN BALL. 311 

large corridors ; it seems as though originally there were 
two sitting-rooms, and that a ball-room and supper- 
room, a place for the dancers to flirt in, and a corridor, 
had all been added. 

Everything opens into everything, with sliding, muf- 
fled windows; and nothing is imposing. The ball-room 
is a good room and pretty, but the nicest feature of the 
house is a sort of sitting-room upstairs, on to which the 
bedrooms open. We were immediately taken there, and 
told not to dress for dinner (our servants had brought 
on our ball things) ; so we were soon down again, and 
were introduced to the company in the house. The 
guests are General Sherman, a very pleasing man, and 
Mr. Cameron* and his daughter, a ladylike and hand- 
some girl. General McDowell does most of the honors, 
and he marshaled us in to dinner, I going with our host, 
Mr. Sharon, a very quiet little man. I told him I liked 
his hotel, and I tried to look as if $14,000,000,000 — a 
sum he named — conveyed a definite idea to my mind. 
There was no plate, no ornament, no china on the table, 
no luxury whatever here. No table could have looked 
less wealthy, and the dinner itself was simple. I only 
saw part of it, however, for I was suddenly told to go 
and dress, and accordingly off we ladies went to prepare 
for the ball. 

The ball guests were coming by train, and nothing 
was done until they did come, which was an hour and a 
half after I was ready, so Mr. Cameron gave me an arm, 
and walked me up and down the corridors, and sat me 
down occasionally, and took me up again and round 
again. 

The train did at last arrive, and with it the company 
— ladies first. I observed a great latitude as to the 

* Mr. Cameron, at that time Minister of War in the United States. 



312 MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvi 

Style of dress worn. There were low dresses and square 
dresses, velvet, merino, morning silks, and regular ball- 
gowns ; every one seemed to appear just as they pleased. 
There were girls who would have been pretty but for 
the paint and powder, which was laid on thick, and 
sprinkled over the hair just in sufficient quantities to 
spoil it. I asked some one afterwards whether she con- 
sidered that paint was de rigueur here, as I saw it was so 
much used, and she told me it was used by girls to a 
great extent. I said, " Do they acknowledge that they 
paint ?" She said, " Not paint ; powder." There is no 
deception about it, however, for it is thick. 

The dancing is different to ours — the square dances 
an improvement, I think — much more lively, and much 
delightful courtesying and bowing going on. I danced 
the opening quadrille, and was much amused ; the band- 
master stood close to me, and called out the orders, 
" Ladies ' chain, set to partners, cross," etc., in a loud 
voice. The waltzes are slow, and there is a particular 
way of holding your partner, which I don't admire. 

There was no tea-room ; the only refreshments were 
for the gentlemen — a large bowl of punch, brandy, gin, 
and champagne ; the table was in one of the recesses of 
the corridors, and the men sat and drank and smoked 
there. At twelve Mr. Sharon came, and told me it was 
time "for lunch," and I went with him into the dining- 
room, to the top of the table, where a small round one 
and a chair were placed for me ; the others stood. The 
only ornamentations on the table were sugar ships. 

Every one was most kind to us, and Mr. Sharon took 
us in his carriage to the train, in which we returned with 
the rest of the company to San Francisco. When we got 
into our carriage at the station we had a good laugh. 
It was a large sort of coach, but four was the number 
intended to be inside. We sat three on a seat : D,, the 



SEPT. 1876 GIVING NAMES, ^.I^ 

Commodore, and I on one, and three people opposite to 
us, when, to our astonishment, an extra bench was put 
down between us, and two ladies came in and sat, one 
partly on His Ex.'s knee and partly on the bench ; the 
other, after trying my lap, happily moved on to the 
Commodore's. 

At Mr. Sharon's my maid met some Clandeboye and 
Bangor people ; one maid-servant told her she should 
go home as soon as she could sell out her " Stocks " at 
100. She had bought in at 18, and now they are. 85. 

Tuesday, 26th. — After breakfast Fred Ward and I 
went to church for the purpose of standing as godfather 
and godmother to Francis Ward's baby, who was born 
the day we reached 'Frisco. 

When we met the baby in church her name was not 
chosen ; but they wanted one to go with May, and when 
I suggested Muriel they were delighted ; so Muriel May 
she was called. I held her the whole service, and as she 
was awake I had to nurse her, and to do the "goose- 
step," all the time. 

Mr. Miller, navigating -lieutenant of the Amet/iysfj 
came to lunch with us, and brought the charts, in order 
that We might choose some anonymous places to which 
we might give names. You will be interested to hear 
that future maps will show the " Dufferin Range " and 
the " Countess of Dufferin Range " of mountains. " Duf- 
ferin Island," " Chatfield Island," " Hamilton Cape," 
'' Littleton Cape," " Ward Cape " ; and Mr. Miller is to 
be immortalized, too. 

There are " no end " of mountains, and the ranges 
had no names before. 

We asked our reporters to dine with us, and they, our- 
selves, and the Commodore had a most delightful even- 
ing. D. and I quite agree we would have come the whole 
journey for the sake of seeing the Chinese Theatre. 



314 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

We went there with the necessary appendage of a 
policeman, and had a box next to that of Generals Sher- 
man and McDowell. The theatre itself is quite unorna- 
mented, and is what some people might call dirty ; but I 
am too much pleased to be critical. The pit was quite 
full of Chinamen, as was the gallery, with the exception 
of a small place set apart for women, where about fifty 
ladies sat. Our boxes were opposite to them. The 
stage ran right across the theatre, and was innocent of 
side-wings or scenery. There were two doors, with a 
curtain in front of each ; the band sat between these 
doors, and the actors played in front of the musicians. 
The two ends of the stage seemed to be used as sitting- 
rooms for any one who chose to " walk up." 

I don't know whether you are aware that a Chinese 
play is not an affair of hours, or of days, but of months, 
and that you can have about six hours a night of it as 
long as it lasts. We went for half an hour, and stayed 
two, and even then we left most reluctantly. 

The music is of the bagpipe order, but not so loud, 
and D. was charmed with the minor key and the bar- 
baric tunes. It went on almost the whole of the play, 
one musician at a time taking a smoke and a rest, while 
the actors performed. 

When we arrived the stage was occupied by a com- 
pany of aristocratic Chinamen, and it was evident that 
an important council was being held. The councilors 
were magnificently dressed in gold and embroidered 
satin and various-shaped head-dresses, and their man- 
ners were splendid. The acting we might consider stagey, 
but it seems to suit the dress and the people, and it was 
delightful to see them walk, or move their arms, and, 
above all, sit down — they did it with such an air ! One 
gentleman wore two enormous drooping feathers in his 
hat, which he twirled just as if they were mustaches. 



SEPT. 1876 THE CHINESE THE A TRE, 3 1 5 

There was a discussion, partly sung, between the digni- 
taries, and I " guess " that there was rebellion going on, 
for when they rose the party divided and went out at 
separate doors, returning again with soldiers under their 
respective leaders. 

A fight then took place, with a pirouette between 
each blow. The soldiers were plainly dressed (black 
Chinese tunics with sashes), but their chests were bare, 
and in the second part of the performance one gentle- 
man showed so much of his manly bosom that I really 
thought that, in his ardor, he would get out of his 
sleeves. 

After these political scenes the drama became more 
domestic, and a lady (a man dressed as such) came on. 
She had the most modest of manners, and a great affecta- 
tion of refinement ; she begged her husband not to join 
the war, but, in spite of her prayer and that of his mother- 
in-law, he went, and then the story began to resemble 
that of " Faust." 

Having torn ourselves away from the theatre, we 
went to the cafe opposite, which had lanterns hung out- 
side. We found music and gambling going on upstairs, 
and a few women and men about, who instantly offered us 
chairs, and began to speak English to us. They asked 
if we would have tea, and as we '' would," they took us 
into an adjoining room, laid a table, and all collected 
round us talking. The tea was delicious, drunk without 
cream or sugar (the latter they greatly object to), and 
we had also ginger and sweetmeats. The women came 
behind me, and touched my things, and were especially 
interested in the jet on my cloak. We saw opium-pipes 
and water-pipes, and looked at the women's nails ; and 
the men laughed and said, in allusion to their length, 
" They lazy, never do anything." We offered to pay, but 
" No, no, we treat you " ; so we effected an exchange of 



3i6 ^^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. i. xvi 

cards, and are to have and give photographs. D. shook 
hands with a lady, who instantly hid her face and fled. 

Our guide next took us to see the "Joss House," or 
Chinese church. We passed through a dark passage, 
and mounted a winding stair outside a house, till we 
reached the top story, where we found the place of wor- 
ship. We saw it by the light of two candles and three 
night-lights burning in front of idols. It is not at all 
imposing, being small, and crowded with things ; no 
seats, and very little standing-room. The " altar " 
stretches across the building, and is occupied by three 
miserable gods in separate divisions ; a few gimcracks 
are placed near them — offerings from their worshipers. 
The only thing at all handsome is a beautiful piece of 
carved wood, gilt, which evidently portrays an allegorical 
subject, and which stretches in front of the entrance- 
door, and partially screens the idols. 

This ended our last day at San Francisco, and to- 
morrow the return journey begins. 

We said good-by to the Commodore (Captain Chat- 
field, R. N.), who has been very kind to us on board his 
ship, and a very pleasant addition to our society ashore. 

You will see that I was not bewildered with the mag- 
nificence of San Francisco, and was surprised when Mr. 
Cameron, a Cabinet Minister (but a man who has not 
been to Europe), told me that when he was asked 
"what he thought of San Francisco," he replied, "I 
think nothing; I am simply dazed." Of course the 
town is wonderful, because it is built on impossible sand- 
hills. Chicago is to me much more splendid and mag- 
nificent ; but in reply to this opinion I am told, " Oh! 
but then, so far West ! " 

Wednesday, 2yih. — We had to leave the hotel at San 
Francisco early, and to cross in a ferry to the railway- 
station, where we found our Pullman ready for us ! 



SEPT. 1876 SALT LAKE CITY. 317 

The day was very warm and dusty, and the grizzly 
bear at Colfax looked intensely miserable with the heat. 
He received grapes thankfully. Enormous bunches here 
are to be had for five cents. 

Thursday, 28th. — On the Alkali Plains ; weather pleas- 
ant, but the acrid dust disagreeable to the eyes. 

Friday, 2gth. — We breakfasted at Ogden, and said 
good-by to Fred Ward there, he being the first deserter 
from our party. Then we started for Salt Lake City. 
The journey of two hours is a very pretty one. Salt 
Lake was in sight almost the whole way, and was of a 
deep, bright blue ; while on the other side of the carriage 
the hills were red and orange and brilliant yellow, au- 
tumn having already put the sumach plant into her 
gorgeous livery. We had arranged to dine at the hotel, 
and to sleep in the railway-car ; but I may tell you at 
once that the mosquitoes took possession of it early in 
the evening, and that we accepted our defeat, and spent 
the night at the Gentile Hotel, which is the very best 
for food I have been in on this continent. 

The city is certainly a wonderful creation. The 
streets are very broad, so that the tramway which runs 
down the middle of each one does not interfere with 
one's carriage-wheels. At the side runs a little open 
stream of rapid-flowing, clear water — a most refreshing 
sight in a naturally very dusty place. Green trees grow 
along the banks of this artificial ditch, and the watering 
of the arid plain is the greatest work the Prophet has 
performed. 

As we drove from the station to the Walker House, 
we passed a pretty villa, with a garden and lawn and 
fountain in front ; and this afterwards proved to be the 
house of our friend — that is to say, the gentleman to 
whom we had brought a letter of introduction. D. and 
I went there later, and found a good farmer kind of man 



3i8 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvi 

living in this fine house. A wife, a daughter, a friend, 
and a son came into the room, and I became very im- 
patient when I found that nothing but European wars 
and trifles of that kind were to be talked of; we could 
not even make out whether our host was a Mormon or 
not ! At last I managed to suggest to D. that we " really- 
must be going," and then our host asked if we wished to 
see the Tabernacle, and if we wished an interview with 
Brigham Young; this last honor we declined. D. de- 
clares that it made me quite irritable even to be in his 
vicinity, and I think it did. 

Our friend drove, and a nephew of his wife's went 
with us to fetch Fred and the Colonel, and when some 
bright particular Mormon star passed the carriage stopped, 
and D. was introduced. The gentlemen jumped out for 
these presentations, and it was when left alone for these 
few seconds that I picked up some scraps of information. 
Her Ex., in a violent hurry, to young man : " Hem — , 
is Mr. J. a — gentile?" Young man, smiling: "No, 
but I am." Second opportunity: "Has Mr. J. more 
than one wife ? " " No ; she is my aunt. " This may be 
called an evasion, for I find that he had two, and has 
eighteen children ; but the second lady died, and the 
daughter we saw was her child 

I was introduced to a few people too, and met George 
Q. Cannon, an M. C, a polygamist, an apostle (he is 
building a very fine house for some favored lady) ; and 
Olson Pratt, the man who led the Mormons to the Prom- 
ised Land, and who is one of the cleverest of the apostles. 

The first thing to be seen was the Tabernacle, in 
front of which a temple of granite is being built. The 
service will be held there when the congregation is 
small ; but it seems to be intended principally for church 
offices of different kinds, and I suppose they will have a 
new Endowment House in it, for the place in which the 



SEPT. 1876 MORMON BUILDINGS. 3IQ 

marriages are now performed is a miserable little build- 
ing. 

The Tabernacle is a huge and hideous edifice with a 
great flat dome. There is no support to the arch inside, 
of which fact the Mormons are proud. It holds 12,000 
people, and we found it decorated with garlands and 
hanging bunches of flowers. There is an enormous or- 
gan, which we heard played ; and from Brigham Young's 
pulpit you can see every seat in the vast circular room. 
The acoustic properties are perfect. 

We next visited " Zion's " co-operative store, a very 
large place ; indeed, the shops of the town appear to me 
to be remarkably good. Amelia (Brigham's most power- 
ful wife) was in the shop, but unfortunately we did not 
know it at the time, and, being with Mormons, we were 
not told any gossip. Our driver took us past the Ame- 
lia Palace, a fine house which Brigham is now building 
for the favorite. Opposite to it is the Lion House, 
where she and other ladies now reside, and the Beehive, 
also the abode of the Mrs. Youngs. 

A wall is built in front of this harem, so it is only 
when the various gates are open that a peep in is to be 
had. The only real evidence of polygamy to be seen 
by the stranger is the multiplication of doors to a gentle- 
man's house; the Mormons are certainly shy of the sub- 
ject with " gentiles," and only say, " That is Mr. Cannon's 
house "; "that is another house of Mr. Cannon's." 

We visited the Theatre and the Town-Hall, and then 
returned to dine at our hotel. I believe our one friend 
here is a " wet " Mormon, and at his house, where we 
spent the evening, we only met one-wifed men. The 
Governor of the State and his wife went with us, and 
on arriving there we found every one sitting in a circle 
close round the walls of the room. AVe took our places 
in this very stiff row, and I kept mine all the time. D. 



320 MY CANADIAN" JOURNAL. CH. xvi 

managed to lift his chair and to change his position a 
little. There were some officers of the U. S. Army, and 
some of our host's two families, also a Mr. H., whose 
daughter has just married one of the sons ; the parents, 
when they found their children had been to the Endow- 
ment House, showed their want of faith by carrying 
them off to a registry office, and insisting upon their 
going through a legal marriage. Miss H. has only one 
father, but she had four grandfathers. 'We had Mormon 
fruit, Mormon cake, and champagne, handed round by a 
Mormon daughter of the house. 

Our hostess was quiet and rather melancholy-looking 
— the shadow of a possible colleague over her; she has 
not been out of the town for twenty-two years, though 
her daughters have been to Europe, and go to New 
York ; I suppose Mormon husbands think, " where igno- 
rance is bliss," etc. 

Saturday, joth. — We had to leave very early in the 
morning, and were, as our hotel-keeper playfully re- 
marked, " sent off with fireworks," the illumination 
being the burning of a rival inn. The whole roof was 
on fire, and the goods were being thrown out of the 
window. 

We breakfasted at Ogden, and then, in our comfort- 
able " house-upon-wheels," began to ascend the Rocky 
Mountains. 

Sunday^ October ist. — It was difficult to believe that 
this was Sunday, for when we arrived at Cheyenne all 
was bustle at the railway-station, and in the town the 
shops were open. The only '^ Sabbath " look was given 
to the place by the laziness of the men, who sat about 
and drank beer. The " West " seems to me to be very 
careless in religious matters, and the only church we 
could discover in this town was a Roman Catholic one. 
We and our two cars were left here. 



OCT. 1876 HOTEL MANNERS. 321 

Monday^ 2d. — We slept '•'■ on board," and started at 
five in the morning. About nine we reached Denver, 
where, unfortunately, we had arranged to sleep before 
we knew of the quiet night at Cheyenne. It is an unin- 
teresting town, surrounded by mountains. It has some 
good shops, and is planted all over with fresh little 
green poplars; but we found twenty-four hours too 
much to spend in it. 

In spite of its uninteresting character, it has its own 
little political excitements, and a torch-light procession 
of Democrats marched past our hotel this evening ; 
while a Republican one formed close by, and set off in 
the opposite direction. It is wonderful how these rival 
processions are managed without collision. 

A curious man with long hair sat by us at meals, who 
turns out to be a great hunter; he offers to take D. and 
me across the Rocky Mountains. 

One falls into very bad manners at these hotels. The 
dinner is before one in little dishes, and one dips a fork 
into each dish, and takes bits of this and of that in the 
same plate, and uses one's knife promiscuously for salt, 
butter, and the whole dinner. The cloth is generally 
somewhat dirty, and there is" a clatter going on in the 
room that is bewildering. The service is excessively 
slow, and it is useless to try and get anything from any 
waiter but your own. At Cheyenne we had a most 
sympathetic black, who said, with the utmost feeling, 
that " he was so sorry " when we expressed an inability 
to eat any more; we almost over-ate ourselves to oblige 
him. 

I saw numbers of negro men and women on horse- 
back to-day, and there was a white lady riding about in 
a pea-green habit. 

We heard of a young man who came down from the 
mines a week before with 1,900 lbs. weight of gold, worth 



322 ^^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvi 

about i6j, an ounce. He had an escort of twenty men, 
to each of whom he paid $200 (;£'4o). We were shown 
a nugget weighing about 145 ounces. 

Tuesday^ jd. — We were very glad to leave Denver 
this morning. D. had a talk with the hunter, who is 
known as Oregon Bill. He gave us his photograph, in 
which he is depicted with an Indian scalp hanging from 
his belt. 

We traveled through the ugliest country it is pos- 
sible to conceive : a flat plain, without the smallest vari- 
ation in it the whole day. Our only excitement was 
seeing a calf dragged along by a lasso, and numerous 
prairie-fires at night, illuminating the landscape in every 
direction. 

Wednesday^ 4th. — The country still ugly, though when 
we got to the Missouri a few trees and some castor-oil 
plants were to be seen. I think we found this almost 
the longest day of our tour. 

Thursday^ ^th. — Arrived at St. Louis early, and 
found that it is the day of the year to be here — the 
best day of the Great Fair. The town and hotels are 
crammed, and some residents good-naturedly turned 
out to give us their rooms. We found two mails await- 
ing us, and after reading them went off to see the 
show. 

There is a very fine, uncovered amphitheatre, v/here 
we saw trotting-horses and four-m-hands ; a band 
played, and the seats all round the course were filled ; 
there must have been 30,000 people there, and crowds 
outside and all through the grounds. It is a great holi- 
day here. 

D. took me a walk through the town, which is one of 
the nicest I have seen in the States — solid-looking, and 
with very handsome residences. The hotel is very good 
and comfortable. 



OCT. 1876 TORONTO. 323 

Friday^ 6th. — We left St. Louis early, and stood out- 
side our train to examine the great bridge over which 
we had to pass. It crosses the Mississippi and the 
Missouri, the two having joined into one muddy river. 
The bridge is built on three piers, and is, I believe, a 
wonderful piece of engineering work. The carriage- 
way is over the bridge, the railway through it. The 
whole looks very light and airy, and suggestive of a 
" smash " ; but it is, of course, really very strong. 

We read our newspapers, and I went for the third 
time through all my letters ! Letters are never more 
appreciated or spelled through than when one is travel- 
ing. 

Saturday, yth. — Soon after breakfast we crossed the 
St. Clair in our train, on a large boat built for the pur- 
pose, and being now in Canada the " Grand Tour " 
ends. 

D. and I spend Sunday at Toronto ; on Monday 
morning I go to Montreal, and he to Philadelphia. 
Friday, I hope to see my children, and am planning 
holidays and " great larks." 



22 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OUR FIFTH WINTER AND SUMMER IN CANADA. 

Friday^ ijth October. — The " Grand Tour " being over, 
I quite forgot I had still to keep up a journal, and, sud- 
denly remembering it, I find myself at the end of a week 
with no notes, and the necessity of remembering how I 
have spent the time. We arrived at Toronto last Satur- 
day night, and were very hospitably received by the 
Macdonalds at Government House. I liked them all 
very much. 

On Sunday D. and I went to church in the Cathedral, 
and in the afternoon a few people carne to see us — Lady 
Macdonald, old Mr. Chapman, etc. The Howlands, 
Mowats, Colonel Cumberland, and Mr. Crooks dined. 

On Monday morning I had to be up at 5.30, to catch 
my train to Montreal, and D., whom I left behind, 
started at eleven en route for Philadelphia. In spite of 
our recent long tour, Alexander and I both thought this 
the longest journey we ever made. We got to Montreal 
at 9.30, Mr. Mackenzie having been with me as far as 
Prescott. Russell met me at the train, and I found 
Gwen in her own house, looking very well, and all her 
surroundings so pretty and comfortable. Gwen and I 
spend quiet mornings together. One afternoon we went 
a lovely drive up the mountain. We visited her chief 
friends, having tea with Miss de Rocheblave* and 

*A French-Canadian lady who has very many friends in England. 



NOV. 1876 TOM THUMB. 325 

Mrs. Stephens,* and driving with Miss Allen to the 
Races. 

We breakfasted early this morning, and I left by the 
train for Ottawa. 

Friday^ 20th. — Two days of Indian summer ; such 
lovely weather. We drove in the afternoons, and re- 
mained in the garden till five. The Council and Minis- 
ters are making arrangements to give D. a grand recep- 
tion on his return ; we expect him on Monday or Tues- 
day. 

Tuesday^ 24th. — Sunday was wet and gloomy again, 
and so was Monday, on which day D. returned. Four 
aldermen went to meet him at a station thirty miles off, 
and when he arrived at Ottawa there was a platform, a 
guard of honor, an address, and a carriage and four to 
bring him to the Government House. The children 
were very happy listening to the guns and watching for 
the four grays, and we all stood at the door to receive 
the Governor-General. 

He was so surprised at the sight of his baby, who is 
much grown and improved, and admired Victoria, whom 
later in the evening Nelly dressed up in the most artis- 
tic manner as the "Queen of Sheba." 

Wednesday^ November ist. — The Count de Turenne 
arrived this morning to pay us a visit. He returns to 
France next month. 

At three o'clock we went into town — a large party ; 
seven children, accompanied by three parents, a nurse, 
and the Count— to see Tom Thumb. We filled two boxes, 
and the delight of the children made it very amusing. 
Basil jumped up and down, pounded the cushions, 
shouted "hurrah," and roared with laughter; and they 
all clapped and cheered in company with the rest of the 



* Lady Mount-Stephen, one of my sister's best and kindest friends. 



326 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvil 

Spectators, who were mostly children. The dwarfs did 
some little plays, one having a man in the part of a 
"mischievous monkey" in it, who once made a dash at 
our box, and was received with shrieks. 

The Littletons dined with us, and the Count told us 
funny stories about his tour. The weather is very bad 
— almost pitch-dark, and wet. 

Sunday^ ^th. — We were surprised when we got to 
church to have the sermon first ; it was explained in the 
evening that this was a hint to people who came late ; 
and it was rather unfortunate that on this day it hap- 
pened that the Governor-General was two or three min- 
utes late, and of course he could not imagine what 
had happened when he found us in the middle of the 
sermon. 

Tuesday, igth December. — The children did their 
Christmas shopping. I think it is the event of the year 
they like the best, and they each go with a few shillings, 
and with a list of about sixteen people, for whom they 
expect to buy handsome presents. 

Christmas Day, i8'/6. — The children's voices are heard 
very early, rejoicing over presents they have received 
from their nurses. 

The whole family, except the absent Archie, dined at 
our lunch, Baby and Victoria for the first time. The 
Littletons came to tea, and there was a round table with 
ten very happy faces at it. Then came the tree, which 
looked very brilliant, and gave universal satisfaction. 
P2very one seems to have got just what they wanted, and 
the clamor of musical instruments resounding through 
the house ever since sounds cheerful, if not pretty. 
When the pleasures of the tree were exhausted we had 
snapdragon, and then a "Yorkshire wassail-bowl," in 
which we all drank Archie's health with cheers. 

Sunday, jist. — Gwen's baby was christened to-day. 



Jan. 1877 TORONTO. 327 

Monday^ January z, iS'j'j- — A hard day. At ten the 
children rehearsed their play ; at twelve His Ex., the 
A. D. C.'s, and I, having dressed ourselves smart, sat for 
two hours receiving all the men in Ottawa. 

Exhausted by two, we lunched, and I then packed 
off my family to bed, promising faithfully to call them 
at four. 

At three a servants' children's party commenced, and 
mine joined them for tea ; after which they acted a little 
play with great success. 

Friday^ ^th. — I had my annual children's party to-day. 
Seventy-eight of them came at five, and mothers besides. 
After the play, which was acted again, there was tea : 
two long tables down the dining-room, and one outside 
for the grown-ups. The magic lantern came next, and 
then we cleared away the chairs, and the children danced 
about, and amused themselves very much. 

Saturday^ 6th. — We had a skating-party, and final 
representation of the children's play, " Fifine, the Fisher 
Maid," which went off extremely well. They like the 
appreciativeness of a grown-up audience. 

Victoria was very funny :. she would run on to the 
stage and exhibit her shoes, bracelets, etc., to the spec- 
tators ; at last I had to draw her back, as she was tak- 
ing the interest off from the real performers. When the 
curtain was drawn up again at the end, she came for- 
ward and made a very nice little courtesy, and said, 
"Good-night, everybody." 

There was a scene in the play in which all go down 
to the bottom of the sea. I managed this by having 
green tarlatan, upon which fishes were pasted, drawn up 
slowly in front of the children to a certain height above 
their heads, showing the depth of the water. 

Toronto : Wednesday^ loth. — We left Ottawa for To- 
ronto yesterday, on the most lovely Canadian morning, 



328 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xvii 

to stay with the Macdonalds. After lunch to-day we 
set off for the Town-Hall, and had an address from the 
Mayor and a reply from His Ex. This was the one 
about which one of the aldermen said, when discussing 
the question of our reception, and the expense of it, that 
"a nice little speech from the Governor-General would 
cost nothing." 

People were presented to us after it, and then we 
went to tea at the Macphersons'. There was a very 
pleasant dinner of thirty people here in the evening. 

Thursday^ nth. — D. and I went to the Mechanics' 
Institute to receive an address. A ball given in the 
evening was very nicely managed, and handsomely done. 
We received the guests with Mr. and Miss Macdonald, 
and then walked through the room to the dais prepared 
for us. I sat there most of the evening talking to differ- 
ent people, and His Ex. danced everythmg till early next 
morning. 

Friday^ 12th. — After breakfast D. and I visited the 
rooms of the Art Union Society of Toronto, and in the 
afternoon we went to the Curling and Skating Rink, 
where an address was read, to which he replied in very 
happy terms. They presented him with curling stones 
and brooms, and me with a beautiful pair of skates. 

I skated a little, and D. curled. He had a dinner at 
the National Club, and made a very amusing speech. 
Alluding to his duties as a constitutional governor, he 
likened himself to " the humble functionary we see 
superintending the working of some complicated mass 
of chain -driven machinery. This personage merely 
walks about with a little tin vessel of oil in his hand, 
and he pours in a drop here and a drop there, as occa- 
sion or the creaking of a joint may require ; while his 
utmost vigilance is directed to no higher aim than the 
preservation of his wheels and cogs from the intrusion 



FEB. i877 OTTAWA. 329 

of dnst, grits, or other foreign bodies." The "Grits" 
being the party now in power, this joke on their name 
was much appreciated. 

The weather was very cold ; there is so much wind 
we feel it more than at Ottawa. 

Sunday, 14th. — Before church we visited the Sunday- 
school, and then had a very long service in the Cathe- 
dral. After it we drove out to see Mr. and Mrs. Gzowski 
in their pretty house; then lunch here; and after it 
Fred and I drove out with Mr. W. Rowland to the Gen- 
eral Hospital. It is a very fine one, and we went all 
over it, and on to tea with Mrs. Howland. 

Monday, i^th- — We four ladies — Miss Macdonald, 
her sisters, and myself — dined alone, the gentlemen be- 
ing at the Club dinner given to His Ex., where he made 
another important speech. 

Tuesday, i6th. — Such a lovely day at last. In the 
afternoon there was a very pleasant little skating-party 
at Government House, and in the evening we went to 
see " Arrah na Pogue " at the Theatre. When the play 
was over we drove back, changed our dresses, and went 
off to the railway-car, where we meant to sleep. We re- 
mained in the station all night, but there was such a 
noise that -we could not sleep, and in the morning we 
started for Ottawa. 

Thursday, February 8th. — In the afternoon I attended 
the opening of Parliament. The Senate Chamber was 
crowded, and all the dresses, etc., looked very handsome. 
The Speech was a rather long one. 

In the evening we had a very large Drawing-room in 
the Senate Chamber.- There must have been 800 pres- 
entations, and the room got quite crammed. 

Thursday, i^th. — We had an evening rehearsal of 
some plays we are getting up, and all the actors came to 
dine first. Of course there were several things to be im- 



230 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvn 

proved : the gas did not go out when it should, etc. ; 
but by working hard we got it all right. 

Fj^iday, i6th. — We had the dress-rehearsal. Both 
pieces were immensely successful. D. was delighted ; 
the dresses capital, and in " Our Wife " very pretty. 

The " Loan of a Lover " came first, Mr. Kimber and 
his sister doing the principal parts, and doing them ad- 
mirably. Colonel Littleton and I, Mr. Brodie and Mr. 
McLean, did the smaller parts. The songs were all well 
sung, and we put in a few additional ones. The two 
Freds looked very magnificent in " Our Wife." Fred 
Ward acted extremely well ; his part is most amusing, 
and suited him exactly. Mr. Kimber was at his very 
best ; indeed, we had a very strong cast for the whole 
play. 

Saturday^ lyth. — A rehearsal of " The Scrap of 
Paper " after lunch, and then a skating-party. There 
was no snow on the top of the slide, and consequently 
no tobogganing ; and it was too cold for much skating, 
so we began to dance early. 

Wednesday, 21st. — The day of our theatricals. The 
weather is beautifuU, almost too warm. Great misfort- 
unes happened to-day. Miss Lea,* who is staying with 
us to do a picture of me, took hartshorn by mistake, and 
nearly choked herself. Then D. got a bad headache ; 
and at seven we had no gas at all ! I was in despair. 
The order was given to collect all the candles and lamps 
in the house, and our cook, who was preparing a supper 
for 400, was left in sudden darkness. His wife was furi- 
ous, and of course a couple of lamps had to be returned 
to him. You may imagine my feelings : all the passages 
and dressing-rooms in a miserable light; for by eight 
o'clock only a glimmer of gas had appeared. The stage 



* Mrs. Anna Lea Merritt. 



MARCH i877 THEATRICALS. 031 

was lighted up with candles, which dripped over us, and 
had to be replaced between each scene. It was so de- 
pressing. 

People declared they were delighted ; and certainly 
they did not mind the want of gas half as much as I did. 
At the end I felt much more tired than usual, owing to 
the worry. 

Wednesday^ March yth. — I have forgotten to say that 
on Friday, the 2d, there was a great curling-match be- 
tween our Club and Belleville for a medal ; it was very 
exciting, the V. C. R. being behindhand at first ; but we 
finally won by two points. We have to play once more 
before we can keep the medal 

Saturday, loth. — Such a magnificent day. The trees 
sparkle like diamonds, and every twig and branch is en- 
tirely cased in ice. Against a bright blue sky they are 
too lovely. A large Parliamentary dinner in the even- 
ing. 

Wednesday, 14th. — D. went into town, and after he 
got out of the sleigh he slipped upon the icy pavement, and 
fell very heavily on a step. Some men picked him up, 
and put him on his feet ; but he could not stand, and 
fell again. They then carried him into a shop, where 
he lay on the floor for quite twenty minutes before he 
could recover his breath at all. Two doctors came, 
and bandaged him up tight. They said no bones 
were broken ; but he was very severely bruised and 
shaken, and in the evening suffered great pain if he 
moved. 

Of course he had to go to bed, and he missed the 
" Scrap of Paper " ; it went off very well, and people 
were delighted with it. They were so interested in the 
story, and they thought every one very good in their 
parts. There were no hitches at all ; the only drawback 
was D.'s absence. 



332 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvii 

Friday^ i6th. — D. very poorly all day, and quite un- 
able to move. Colonel * and Mrs. Hewitt came for the 
large military dinner which we gave. There were fifty- 
four at dinner, and the room looked very well. D. so 
disappointed to miss it. 

-, Wednesday, 21st. — About 11 p.m. Mr. Brodie drove up 
to say that he. General Smyth, his son, etc., had been 
burned out, and had lost everything — two theatrical suits 
for Saturday into the bargain ! 

Saturday, 24th. — We had the last performance of the 
" Scrap of Paper." D. was able to be at it, and in the 
house we had the Stephensons and Hewitts. There was 
a very large audience, and the piece was a great success. 
Between the acts we had some very good singing and 
playing. 

Monday, April 30th. — D. and I were the recipients of 
a great honor to-day. The cabmen of Ottawa, having 
benefited by the gayeties at Government House this 
winter, got up a testimonial and an address for us, which 
they presented themselves. 

They came at two o'clock — fourteen very respectable- 
looking men. They read an illuminated address, and 
then presented D. with a handsome stick with a gold top 
and inscription, and me with a silver card-case, on which 
is inscribed : " Presented to Her Excellency the Countess 
of Dufferin by the Hackmen of the City of Ottawa, as a 
token of esteem. April, 1877." 

When the presentation was over, D. showed them the 
house — our sitting-rooms, etc. — and gave them dinner 
in the ball-room. Directly the wine was poured out they 
all stood up and drank the Queen's health. 

Saturday, May 12th. — We left home, D. on his way to 

* Colonel Hewitt, R. E., at this time was Commandant of the Mili- 
tary College at Kingston, Ontario. 



MAY 1877 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS. 333 

Philadelphia, and I to pay a visit (with Fred) to Gwen 
at Montreal. We had Mr. Reynolds's car, and parted 
with D. at Prescott. We had four hours to wait, but 
passed the time very pleasantly, walking and sitting by 
the riverside. 

Saturday^ ipth. — After a very delightful week with 
Gwen, Fred and I returned to Ottawa to-day, and the 
baby came down to see us off, as merry and amiable as 
usual. 

Monday, 21st. — In the evening Fred, the Littletons, 
and I walked to the Reynoldses', and sat out on the steps 
at their house, watching the procession on the water in 
honor of the new Pope (Leo XIII). There were a 
quantity of canoes with torches, which were very pretty, 
and the Roman Catholic houses in town were illumi- 
nated. The night was fine, and we enjoyed the walk 
and the fine view from Ernscliffe (the Reynoldses' 
house). 

Tuesday, 22d. — D. arrived from New York at 1.30 
and we spent the afternoon out of doors. 

Saturday, June 2d. — Mr. Ford * came to stay till 
Monday. 

Thursday, yth. — Before lunch an assembly of eccle- 
siastics arrived : " His Excellency the Apostolic Dele- 
gate to Canada," the Bishops of Ottawa, Newfoundland, 
and Prince Edward Island, with all their acolytes. 

The first-named is Bishop Conroy, of Ardagh, and is 
sent here by the Pope to arrange various matters in this 
country. He is a very pleasant man, and after " doing " 
a quantity of institutions, he came with all the others to 
dine here, and he and his chaplain remained the night. 

We dined in the ball-room, and were about fifty-five 
people — Ministers, Priests, Supreme Court Judges, etc. 

* The present Ambassador at Madrid, Sir Francis Clare Ford, G. C. B. 



334 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvii 

The Delegate has been feted and worked so much in 
Canada, that he seems to be longing for privacy and rest. 

Friday^ 8th. — The Bishop was off at 7.30 to have 
Mass in town; he returns to lunch, goes back to hold a 
levee^ and then dines here. 

Tuesday^ gth. — All the last week we have had most 
delightful weather, and not a mosquito to destroy our 
pleasure. 

We left Ottawa to-day and had to be up early, and 
to breakfast soon after seven The children were all 
dressed in time to see us off. Our traveling-party con- 
sists of Nellie, Fred, ourselves ; Mr. Johnston, who 
comes as far as Montreal ; and Colonel Stuart, whom we 
take with us in the Druid for a few days. We reached 
Prescott at ten, and then got on board the river-boat 
and spent a very pleasant day, the weather being de- 
lightful. 

The Druid as nice and comfortable as usual. Nellie 
sleeps in the cabin next to us, and originally intended 
for my maid. Fred and Colonel Stuart have the two 
cabins in the forepart of the vessel. 

Wednesday^ 20th. — We got to Quebec directly after 
lunch, and as soon as D. had dismissed the guard of 
honor we went to the Citadel, and returned to dine on 
board the Druid. Dinner being over, we again started 
on our journey. 

Gaspe : Saturday, 2jd. — A fine but cold and windy 
day. D. and Fred went off for a little fishing, and 
brought back two salmon and three trout. D. was the 
lucky one. The men say we are a week late (always 
the case with salmon-fishing ! ) ; so we shall have to go 
up and live in the bush, instead of in our comfortable 
ship. 

Monday, 2^th. — Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Middleton, and 
the Molsons came to see me in the afternoon, and after 



June 1 8 77 FISHING. 335 

dinner D. and I went over to their yacht. They expect 
to sail in the morning, and are leaving the fishing in dis- 
gust. Mr. Reynolds has only caught five fish, and Mr. 
Middleton nine. 

The only lucky person has been Colonel McNeill ; 
he got thirty-three salmon in the York, and last night 
there came a letter from him to say that he had just 
reached the Metapediac, and in one evening's fishing 
caught four salmon, averaging 29J lbs. in weight. 

Tuesday^ 26th. — D. and Fred have gone up to the 
house, so we shall not see them till we get to them to- 
morrow. Colonel Stuart is fishing down here, and will 
dine on board. 

Wednesday, 2'/th. — All the morning preparations for 
our departure were being made, and at two o'clock we 
got off. We drove in a buggy for two hours, and then 
got on to horses. We only go at a foot's pace, but 
Nellie enjoyed it. 

We arrived at five o'clock at the camp and found the 
river very low, but the water beautifully clear. We had 
a good account of the fishing. Tuesday afternoon D. 
caught six salmon and Fred four, and yesterday D, 
caught four and Fred six ; besides, they have several 
trout. Nellie and I welcomed them home about eight 
o'clock, and saw the fish displayed on the rocks ; then 
we dined, and sat at the camp-fire till bedtime. Nellie 
amused herself making " smudges," and filling saucers 
with moss and violets. 

The flies are not so bad as usual this year. 

Saturday, joth. — D.'s morning's fishing produced three 
salmon, and Fred came home with two, and thirteen 
beautiful trout. After lunch we again went out in the 
canoe. At one moment I was to be seen standing on a 
small rock in the middle of the river, Nellie upon another, 
and D. on a chair, which we had brought with us and 



336 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xvii 

planted in the stream. We were all lashing the water, 
but were most unfortunate, and only brought home one 
trout between us. 

Tuesday, 3d July. — I went out with D., and while fish- 
ing for trout had quite an adventure with one. I hooked 
him at the same time that D. had on a salmon. I was 
standing on a small rock in the middle of the river, and 
had neither landing-net nor salmon-killer with me, as 
D.'s man was to bring the net to me when I wanted it. 
The salmon, however, wished to go down the rapid, so 
D., his men, and his canoe, had to pass under my rod, 
and between me and my trout. When I had tired the 
fish out, the difficulty was to capture him ; but I man- 
aged to get him on my rock, and to unhook him ; and I 
had another on before D. came back. 

He had arranged to go far up the river and sleep, so 
he started off at eleven o'clock, and after lunch Nellie 
and I went out with Fred. As the salmon would not 
rise, we both fished for trout, and had great fun. To 
our surprise, on returning home we found D. ; no fish 
had arrived so far up the river, so of course he did not 
stay, and we arranged to go " out " to-morrow, 

Wednesday, 4th. — All busy packing. D. stayed at 
home, and I went out for an hour, and caught ten trout 
— one 3j lbs., and the others smaller. I fish with a 
beautiful little bamboo rod which with the reel only 
weighs six ounces. 

It was a lovely day; I was quite sorry to leave our 
camp, as I enjoyed it very much this year, and we were 
less troubled with flies than usual. We had the Captain 
to dine with us, and started immediately after dinner. 

Thursday, 5th. — A beautiful day, and a lovely sunset 
and double rainbow. " A rainbow at night is a sailor's 
delight," so we hope it will be very fine to-morrow, when 
we ought to reach Tadousac. 



JUNE 1877 TADOUSAC. 3^7 

Friday^ 6th. — Arrived about eight in the morning ; a 
most beautiful day, the children all well, and enjoying 
the seaside very much. We sat out on the balcony, and 
walked on the rocks. 

Sunday^ i^th. — We have spent a very pleasant ten 
days. The weather has been lovely, and we have sat 
out the most of the day. We were able to bathe oc- 
casionally, although the water is always very cold here 
— quite icy. 

D. drew a good deal, and had finished some very nice 
sketches, which yesterday met with a sad mishap. We 
went on a fishing expedition up the Saguenay, taking 
the Gillespies with us in the Druid. We breakfasted on 
board, and then had a very pleasant voyage of two 
hours to the fishing-grounds. When we got back, D. 
found he had left all his sketching things and finished 
drawings below high-water mark at the fishing-place. He 
sent a man in a canoe to look for them, who found them, 
soaked and spoiled. 

We are now returning to Ottawa to prepare for a tour 
in Manitoba, to which we are all looking forward with 
great pleasure. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE NORTHWEST. 

Monday^ July 30th. — We left Ottawa this morning in 
good spirits and in smartish clothes, which we put on 
for the guard of honor and the friends who come to see 
us start. Once really off, we arrayed ourselves in cooler 
and more suitable traveling garments. 

The day was not so hot as we expected, and when bed- 
time came we all acknowledged that the time had flown. 

The maids, who are traveling more luxuriously than 
any ladies on board, grumble at having to sleep in the 
ordinary Pullman. Nellie and I have a cabin together. 

Jz^^^^^j/, jz^/.^The train behaved in an extraordinary 
manner during the night. It rushed along at a furious 
pace for a couple of miles, pulled up with a frightful 
bump, stopped to shriek, went on again after three or 
four jerks, and in this way kept us thoroughly awake 
for what appeared the whole night, but was, I suppose, 
less than half of it. I felt a little the worse for the 
night's shaking, but a good breakfast in our own car 
and an hour spent outside of it in the fresh morning air 
quite revived me. 

We had such a dusty day : five minutes sufficed to 
cover tables, sofas, our faces, hands and hair with the 
dirtiest powder ; and it was quite useless to wash, for 
we became as bad as ever immediately after. We were 
so glad when we arrived at Lake Michigan, and felt the 



AUG. i877 ST. PAUL. 239 

cool breeze from over its surface, and saw hundreds of 
people bathing in the refreshing water. At Chicago we 
got into carriages, and drove rapidly to the luxurious 
Palmer House, where we dined, and enjoyed the quiet 
and the cleanliness, after the jolting and the noise and 
the dust of the railway. We had an hour at the hotel, 
and returned to our Pullman much the better for our 
outing. 

Wednesday, August ist. — We had rather a pleasant 
day in the train, passing through a good deal of " bush " 
and half-settled country, and as we got near to St. Paul 
we crossed a very pretty lake, and then came in sight 
of the Mississippi, on which the town is built. 

At the station a dozen gentlemen came on board, 
and took us to the hotel in carriages ; and we enjoyed 
a night " on shore " very much indeed. 

Thursday, 2d. — We breakfasted at 8.30, and almost 
directly after held a little reception. A great number 
of gentlemen were presented to us, and then one made 
a speech, to which D. replied. They told me after- 
wards they were "more than delighted" with his "re- 
marks." 

This affair was scarcely over when I was hurried off 
to make a tour of the country. In the first carriage 
D. and I, General Johnston, and Mr. Rice went. They 
were both pleasant men, citizens of this town ; the latter 
had been for many years in Congress, and was a person 
to whom every one appealed for every sort of infor- 
mation. 

The second carriage contained General Terry and 

the Littletons. General Terry is the officer who was in 

command when General Custer attacked the Indians, 

and lost his life. Four more carriages followed, with 

Nellie, the A. D. C.'s, and more gentlemen. 

We drove to Minneapolis, through a fiat country, 
23 



340 -^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xviii 

sometimes bush, sometimes prairie, and sometimes 
beautiful cornfields. Minneapolis is younger than St. 
Paul, the latter being about thirty years of age ; it is, 
I think, more flourishing-looking, and the residences in 
the town, each surrounded with lawns and flower-gar- 
dens, look charming and comfortable. The hotel where 
we lunched is a very fine one. 

We soon set off again, and went to see the St. An- 
thony Falls. They consist of a series of rapids and an 
artificial " slide " ; the water was wearing away the 
rock, and the hand of man has intervened to keep it 
in check, and to prevent the lumber interests being 
injured by Nature. Then we went over a flour-mill, 
the flour here being a great specialite. This mill turns 
out a thousand barrels a day, some of a peculiar, very 
white quality, which makes the most delicious bread ; 
it contains the most nutritious parts of the wheat, and 
is made by a newly-invented process ; but I will not 
attempt to describe this, any more than I have the 
engineering works on the river. 

Into our carriages again, and off to see the Minne- 
haha Falls. '^ From the waterfall, he called her ' Minne- 
haha ' — ' Laughing Water.' " The season has been very 
dry, and there was very little water coming over the 
Fall ; but I am very glad to have seen it, as Longfel- 
low's poem is one of my earliest recollections. When 
we returned to our carriages we changed company a 
little. General Terry came with us, and we went with 
him to the Fort 

It is beautifully situated on a very high cliff at the 
junction of the Mississippi and the Minnesota. As we 
drove into the court formed by the barracks, we were 
saluted by soldiers, and found the troops and the band 
arranged (what an unmilitary expression !) on the grass, 
looking so gay with their uniforms and colors. The 



AUG. 1877 THE FORT. 34 1 

band played, and we walked about, and then the officer 
in command took us into his house, where we were intro- 
duced to his sister and to another lady, and through 
the house on to the top of a tower, at the corner of the 
fortification, looking over the rivers. It was covered 
overhead, and there was a balustrade round it, orna- 
mented with flags. Such a pretty place ! We enjoyed 
sitting out in the cool, refreshing air, and looking at the 
lovely view. 

When we left we crossed the Mississippi in a sort of 
ferry-boat, which was made to go backwards and for- 
wards by the current of the river itself ; the flat-boat 
was pulled in a slanting direction, so that the stream 
acted upon it, just as the wind does upon a sail, and 
moved it across. 

We reached St. Paul about eight o'clock, said good- 
by to our very kind entertainers, and were introduced 
to Mr. Rice's daughters, who appeared to be very nice 
girls — the only ladies we have had an opportunity of 
seeing here. Nellie came home in tremendous spirits. 
In her carriage there was a doctor, who had laid himself 
out to amuse her, and whom she thinks very "witty" 
and delightful. At the Fort she was much interested at 
hearing there was an officer with a wooden leg; so when 
one came up to speak to her, she looked at him, and 
having decided that he at any rate was all right, she 
asked him to show her the gentleman with the wooden 
leg. He replied that he was the one, and in her confu- 
sion she could only think of asking him if it hurt still. 

After supper we were serenaded by a band, and an 
attempt was made to induce D. to speak to the crowd; 
but he declined. Every one has been so kmd and civil 
to us here ; we have enjoyed our day very much. 

Friday^ jd. — We left the hotel early in the morning, 
and once more got into our train. We journeyed on all 



342 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xviii 

day, through swamps, lakes, and prairie-lands. In the 
evening we went through some burning woods. They 
must have been on fire in about a hundred places, but 
the flames had not yet joined together into one devastat- 
ing sheet. 

Saturday^ 4th. — I was awoke by the most disagree- 
able bumping and jolting, and soon discovered that we 
were off the line. It took us two hours and many shak- 
ings before we got on again. We were now traveling 
through the flattest of flat prairies, very ugly and very 
green. About ten o'clock by the new time — for our 
watches are called upon to change their opinions as to 
the hour at every place we get to — we found ourselves 
at Fisher's Landing, and the steamer ready to take us 
up the Red River. 

We have to leave our house-upon-wheels, and to em- 
bark upon the boat, which friendly hands have decorated 
with flags, wreaths of leaves, and flowers. She — the 
steamer — is a stern-wheeler, such as we had on the 
Fraser River ; she draws very little water, and certainly 
has an extraordinary passage to perform. The river, 
which to all intents and purposes is the Red River (the 
first few miles it. is called the Red Lake River), is very 
muddy, very narrow, and extremely sinuous. I can 
scarcely convey to you an idea of the extraordinary 
manner in which it twists and turns itself about : think 
of a braiding-pattern, or of a zigzag path up a very 
steep hill ; or imagine sailing through hundreds of small 
ponds all joined together, the second being concealed 
by the curve of the first, and you may form an idea 
of it. 

I can only tell you that we go from one bank to the 
other, crushing and crashing against the trees, which 
grow down to the water-side; the branches sweep over 
the deck, and fly in our faces, and leave pieces behind 



AUG. 1877 THE RED RIVER. 343 

them. I had just written this when I gave a shriek as I 
saw my ink-bottle on the point of being swept overboard 
by an intrusive tree; and D.'s hat was knocked off his 
head by it. The consequence of this curious navigation 
is that we never really go on for more than three min- 
utes at a time : we run against one bank, our steam is 
shut off, and in some mysterious manner we swing round 
till our bow is into the other ; then we rebound, and go 
on a few yards, till the sharp curve brings us up against 
the side. Our stern wheel is very often ashore, and our 
captain and pilot must require the patience of saints. I 
told you when the last branch came on board ; well, I 
have been writing as fast as possible since, and now we 
are ashore on the other side ; so you may easily believe 
that we travel seventeen miles for two that we make, 
and were it not a lovely day, and had we not a delicious 
air, I don't know how bad our language might not be- 
come. 

We were told at St. Paul that we should be eaten 
with mosquitoes ; that no oil, no veils, no gloves, no 
leggings would keep out the devouring monsters ; fancy 
our deUght, then, to find there are none, and that we 
are able to sit gloveless on deck and write. 

We breakfasted early, and were hungry for a one- 
o'clock lunch, which was more elegant than substantial. 
Sardines were the piece de resistance^ and ice-cream the 
most attractive dish to be procured. I hope dinner will 
be more suited to our appetites. 

This exceedingly twisty river is the " Red Lake 
River " ; it is forty miles to travel, though the distance 
is only twelve from point to point. When we reached 
the Red River itself, we found the stream wide enough 
for us to go straight down it, less sinuous, but quite as 
muddy and uninteresting. Trees come down to the 
water's edge, and one can see nothing beyond them; 



344 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xviii 

behind stretches out the prairie, and every now and 
then we were just able to see how thin the screen of 
trees really is -between the river and the plains. 

Alas! alas! towards evening the mosquitoes ap- 
peared, and bit us horribly. At dinner (a very good 
one) we weie eaten while eating, and were very glad to 
leave the lighted saloon, and sit on the bow of the 
steamer in the air. The night was very dark, and the 
river looked gloomy and mysterious, and we sat there 
and watched the black reflections in the water. Our 
steamer whistled, and in the distance we heard it an- 
swered. Slowly we turned a point and saw another 
boat approaching us. It looked beautiful in the dark, 
with two great bull's-eyes, green and red lamps and 
other lights on deck, creeping towards us ; we stopped, 
and backed into the shore, that it might pass us. It 
came close and fired off a cannon, and we saw on the 
deck a large transparency with the words " Welcome, 
Lord Dufferin " on it, and two girls dressed in white 
with flags in their hands ; then a voice sang " Canada, 
sweet Canada," and many more voices joined the chorus, 
and they'sang " God save the Queen " and " Rule, Bri- 
tannia," and cheered for the Governor-General as they 
began to move slowly away, and he had only just time 
to call out a few words of thanks before they disappeared 
into the darkness. 

It was very striking, and we scarcely recovered from 
our surprise and bewilderment before the thing was 
gone. 

Sunday^ ^th. — There was a very heavy shower of rain 
this morning, but happily it cleared up before we reached 
Pembina; there the American troops were drawn up to 
receive us, and we went ashore, and up to the Fort, 
where we saw four ladies and some manoeuvres, and 
spent about an hour. A little way farther, and we 



AUG. 1877 THE FRONTIER, 245 

passed the line, and found ourselves in Canadian terri- 
tory again. The first town we came to was Emerson, 
and we landed there. It seems the people had put up 
some very pretty arches, but the storm in the morning 
knocked them all down. We found a platform with car- 
pet on it, and flags all round it, a very good guard 
of honor (militia), and a very strange one of Indians. 
Some of the latter were in red coats, some in blankets, 
some with painted faces, feathers in their hair, beads, 
medals, etc. ; others were more quietly got up, but al- 
together they formed a most picturesque and curious 
group. All the ladies of the place were on the plat- 
form, and D. received two addresses there, one from the 
Indians. 

We walked down and looked at the women and chil- 
dren, and a second Indian speech was made, and an- 
swered. The first described them as very happy and 
prosperous, the second named some grievance to be re- 
dressed. 

D. also spoke to the Mennonites (Russians) : they are 
getting on very well, and want to have many more of 
their people out here. D. explained to them that as far 
as we are concerned we should be very glad to have 
them, but that it was impossible for us to take any steps 
to bring them from their own homes. They are very 
good settlers, and in addition to the virtues of sobriety 
and industry they add the advantage of bringing money 
into the country. 

In the afternoon we had prayers on board, and the 
gentlemen bathed in the Red River; they seemed 
to enjoy it very much, and stayed in so long that 
the mosquitoes on shore found us out, and came, on 
board. 

We were stationary all night, as we did not want to 
reach Winnipeg till a reasonable hour in the morning. 



346 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xviii 

At five o'clock the gentlemen got up, and went out 
duck-shooting, and shot four birds. 

We have been very comfortable on board, though 
our sleeping-cabins are extremely small, and there is 
scarcely room to turn round in them. 

We heard Nellie describe her papa to a girl, who 
asked her to point out the Governor-General, as " the 
gentleman in the chimney-pot." She was very anxious 
to get Colonel Littleton to tell her the Freemason 
secrets, and, failing, said, with a sigh of relief, " Well, I 
dare say when women get their rights we shall know 
them." 

My only difficulty is in keeping her at all smart on 
these occasions, for no sooner is she dressed than she 
visits the coal-hole, or climbs into some unthought-of 
place, and returns to me, each of her exploits marked by 
stains and smudges. 

Monday^ 6th. — We left our anchorage early in the 
morning, and came in sight of Fort Garry about ten 
o'clock. The Red River appears to divide the town in 
two, but we left it, and turned into the Assiniboine, 
round the corner of which we found the wharf. We had 
two hours to wait before landing. Some people came 
on board to see the Governor-General, and he arranged 
for me to start half an hour before him, and to %o to 
the City Hall, where we ladies sat till the noise of bands 
and shouting announced his arrival in a carriage-and- 
four. 

The town of Winnipeg is rapidly increasing, and to- 
day, with its decorations of transplanted trees and flags, 
it looked gay and pretty. A very large number of peo- 
ple assembled round the platform, and came along the 
streets with D., and some very handsome arches had 
been put up. Addresses were read and answered, the 
soldiers inspected^ and then I got with D. into the car- 



AUG. 1877 WINNIPEG. 347 

riage, and drove to " Silver Heights," where we are to 
live. 

It is quite five miles from town, along a prairie road, 
which is a little rough when the weather is dry, but 
which is simply impassable when there has been rain. 
The mud here is, from all accounts, fearful. The Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, Mr. Morris, told us it once took him 
nine hours to go eight miles, and two days to do twenty- 
two miles. 

" Our house " is a cottage, and lent to us by Mr. 
Donald Smith, who met us at the door, introduced us to 
his daughter, and showed us our accommodation. The 
A. D. C.s are in a smaller cottage close by, and the men- 
servants sleep in tents. A fine reception-room, and two 
ante-rooms, carpeted, papered, and furnished, have been 
added to the house for us, which we regret, as the place 
is really too far away to entertain in ; nor have we the 
china, or the knives and forks, wherewith to give a ball 
or a dinner ! 

We are near the road, and on the other side of it is 
the Assiniboine River ; we sat on its banks, had tea on 
the balcony of the house, and spent a very quiet even- 
ing. There is a long programme for this week, but it 
shall develop itself. 

Tuesday^ yth. — We went into town to call upon Mrs. 
Morris, the Lieutenant-Governor's wife. The Govern- 
ment House is surrounded by a wooden palisade, and 
has a brick gateway, which forms a nice old-fashioned 
court in front of the house. 

In the evening we went to a " Parlor Entertainment " 
— songs, speeches, and change of costumes — very well 
done, and amusing. Driving back we realized even 
more fully than we had done before the disadvantages 
of living so far from the town. The road is a sort of 
track on the prairie, and we soon found that we were off 



348 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xviii 

it. We asked the other carriage to go first, and the 
driver replied that he had no lights ; our man said his 
lamps dazzled him, so finally the other carriage did go 
first. It took us over an hour to get back, and if the 
four other nights on which we have to go into Winnipeg 
are dark or wet, I don't know what we shall do. 

Wednesday^ 8th. — We had a visit from an Indian. He 
was sent by a chief, who lives twenty-six miles away, to 
ask when the Governor-General would visit him. The 
messenger was a fine-looking man. His hair was long, 
and he wore a fillet round his head with eagles' feathers 
fastened into it. He had a red-cloth tunic embroidered 
with beads, with quantities of ermine tails hanging down 
from all the seams, each tail sewn into the center of a 
circle of beads. Round his neck he wore a large neck- 
lace of bears' claws, moccasins on his feet, and European 
trousers, which were generally hidden by a large blue 
blanket, which he pulled round him in very graceful 
folds. We had rather a long talk with him, and gave 
him some breakfast ; he ate a few mouthfuls, and then 
asked for paper in which to wrap up the rest. Mrs. Lit- 
tleton asked him about his religion. He said he had 
none — that the Indians were here from the Creation, 
that there was one Great Spirit, but that he found "re- 
ligion " cost money, and so it was better not to have 
any. He was given a pound of tea, one of tobacco, his 
passage home in a steamer, and an order for some pro- 
visions on the way. 

We drove into Winnipeg to see some games, and were 
sitting on a platform, and rather enjoying ourselves, 
when the most desperate shower came on. Our cover- 
ing was soon soaked through, and we bundled into our 
carriage as quickly as we could, but not before we were 
very much damaged; feathers out of curl, dresses dirtied. 
The people were wonderfully good-tempered; the whole 



AUG. 1877 ST. BONIFACE. 



349 



crowd seemed to be in a fit of laughter, and it was amus- 
ing to see some holding a bit of sail over them, soldiers 
with wheelbarrows on their backs for shelter, and others 
sitting under the shade of a big drum. One sergeant 
went about in the funniest way, holding a bit of wood 
over his head, and pretending he could not see from 
under it. Happily, we had not to go into town again in 
the evening. Mr. Campbell dined at Winnipeg, and lost 
his way on the prairie coming back ; he got up to his 
knees in mud, and at last made for a light, and got a 
shake-down for the night in a farmer's cottage. 

Thursday^ pth. — We started off after breakfast to visit 
the Archbishop on the other side of the river, at St. 
Boniface. He and his clergy received us at the Palace, 
where two addresses were read. Then we saw the 
church, and went on to a convent. 

The Grey Sisters have about thirty children under 
their care ; in these thirty there are representatives of 
eleven different nationalities. Each child had a little 
flag with " Welcome " written in her own tongue upon 
it. There were Canadian French, English, Irish, half- 
breeds, and different Indian tribes. 

The weather was really nice, and we sat on the bal- 
cony until it was time to dress for the ball at Govern- 
ment House. We were asked at nine o'clock, and went 
punctually, but " in honor of us " the other people were 
late, and we stood about for a long time before the 
dancing began. A fine room had been put up for the 
occasion, and everything went off very well. 

All the ladies were well dressed, and-the dancing as 
at Ottawa or London. Six years ago, at a ball here, 
ladies would have come in moccasins, and danced noth- 
ing but the Red River jig. This state of society would 
have had some charm for us, but the change shows how 
rapidly the place grows, and how quickly outside ideas 



350 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xviii 

make their way in. The jig was danced for us; it is 
exactly the same as an Irish jig. The supper was good, 
and the table prettily decorated with flowers The fruit 
had to be imported, as none grows here yet. The Ro- 
man Catholic and English bishops both came to the ball 
for a few minutes. 

The drive back was very dark in spite of a fine dis- 
play of lightning on the horizon. The second carriage 
drove up against a post, and broke a spring, and Cap- 
tain Smith had to jump down every now and then to see 
if we were on the road, and the driver kept " wishing he 
was at home." 

Friday^ loth. — We held a reception at the City Hall at 
three o'clock. It did not last very long, but as we had 
to attend a concert in the evening we decided to dine at 
the hotel, and not to drive out to Silver Heights. The 
hotel-keeper insisted upon giving us our dinner free. 

Mrs. Littleton and I went over the Fort, and through 
the Hudson Bay Stores. The shop is a very good one, 
and I purchased a hat for my rough expeditions, and a 
jacket of white caribou-skin, embroidered in silk by the 
Indians. We also saw the furs. The room full of buffa- 
lo-robes smelt horribly ; but I bore it, being determined 
to see all I could. I believe the smell is not altogether 
from the skins, but is mixed with the odor of the Indian 
camp. Another place was full of various skins : wolf, 
grizzly bear, cinnamon bear, foxes of all sorts, etc. 

The concert was " classical," and its great merit was 
the shortness of it. 

Nellie spent the afternoon at the Government House, 
where there are three children, but she dined with the 
grown-up people, and enjoyed herself very much. 

Saturday^ nth. — There were races to-day at Buffalo 
Park, and happily the changeable climate did not spoil 
them. They were held in a large piece of prairie, walled 



AUG. i877 LASSOING. 35 1 

in by a stout paling; numbers of people were there, and 
we had a capital stand for seeing everything. 

The races were the least interesting part of the per- 
formance, though they were rather lively, for the riders 
shouted as they galloped ; there was no such mystery as 
" pulling," and every one went as fast as he could. 

What we most enjoyed seeing was a man lassoing a 
wild cow. He rode beautifully, and sent the lasso round 
her horns ; after holding her thus, and riding about a 
little, he laid her gently over on her side, unable to get 
up. Then he let her go, but left the lasso fastened to 
her horns, and as he rode fast after her he stooped to the 
ground and picked the end of it up. Once he took hold 
of the cow's tail, and held it for some time. He put the 
animal down again in front of our stand, and a quan- 
tity of men rushed forward to undo the cord which was 
twisted tight round her ; the people gathered in about 
them, and as soon as the cow was loose there was such 
a stampede ! She knocked over two men, but they were 
not hurt, and there was great laughter. 

Three buffaloes were on the field in a state of semi- 
wildness ; these were cantered round to exhibit them- 
selves, but the owner would not allow them to be lassoed 
lest they should turn savage. We were surprised to see 
how fast they could run, and how well they could jump, 
for their big heads do not give them a very active ap- 
pearance. 

Sunday^ 12th. — Went to church, and arrived there in 
time to escape a tremendous storm of rain. I never saw 
such a climate : one may be wet through on the finest 
day. 

Monday^ ijtk. — We drove over to St. Boniface to see 
a rifle-match. The day was perfectly lovely when we 
started, not a cloud in the sky, and such a hot sun ; 
nevertheless, I took my waterproof and umbrella, and 



352 MY CJATA DIAN JO URN A L. CH. X viii 

sure enough the clouds gathered, and a thunderstorm 
came on with rain ! We were received in an arbor erect- 
ed for the occasion, an address was read, and I fired a 
shot, which was off the target, but which was marked a 
bull's-eye, and then the match began. In two or three 
minutes after we had been baked in the sun, the rain 
came on, and we had to retire into a large shed, where 
we lunched, and D. replied to a speech proposing his 
health, and then, as the rain continued, we drove home. 

In the evening we had a visit from eight or ten In- 
dians, who came to dance and sing before us. Their 
faces were most elaborately painted, and they came up 
the road uttering the most extraordinary cries. The 
men were fine, good-looking, and tall, of the Sioux na- 
tion. They all came over from the States fifteen years 
ago. They had feathers in their hair, and we are told 
that each white feather represents a white man's scalp 
taken by the wearer, and a colored feather stands for an 
Indian's scalp. When they reached our door they sat 
down on the grass and hung their drum upon some 
stakes they brought for the purpose ; then half of them 
sat down, and the others danced round, while the sitters 
beat the drum, and the whole company shouted. They 
kept this up for a few mmutes, and after a little rest 
began the same thing over and over again. We dis- 
missed them when we had seen enough, but D. promised 
to go to their camp in the morning. 

Tuesday^ 14th. — We had to leave home immediately 
after breakfast, as His Ex. had to lay the foundation- 
stone of a ladies' college. On our way we stopped at 
the Indian encampment, one large half-covered tent, 
with twenty men and women sleeping in it. The men 
did not seem to have completed their toilet, and were 
still putting on their feathers, and having their hair 
plaited. There were some new devices on their faces. 



AUG. 1877 ON THE PRAIRIE. 353 

D. promised them some powder and shot, and then we 
drove on. 

The Bishop of Rupert's Land is building a girls' 
school. He is already the head, and entire manager, of 
a very successful college for boys, and after the usual 
ceremonies attendant upon laying a stone we drove to 
see it. A very nice set of boys received us at the door, 
and showed us into the house, which, for this country, 
is a very old-fashioned one. It is on the banks of the 
Red River. 

The Bishop gave us lunch, and then we returned to 
the hotel at Winnipeg, where we dress for the ball given 
by the citizens to-night. 

We dined with the Governor, and were escorted to 
the ball by a torchlight procession. The City Hall was 
beautifully decorated, and a large supper-room was built 
for the occasion, and made to look like a tent, with red, 
white, and blue material. The room and floor were very 
good, the ladies well dressed, and the whole thing most 
successful. 

Wednesday^ i^th. — We have had a very pleasant day 
on the prairie. We managed to shake off our sleepiness 
after the ball, and to be quite ready for an early start. 
D. and I got into a small phaeton, Mrs. Littleton, Nellie, 
and Alexander into an ambulance wagon, and our three 
gentlemen mounted their horses, and off we went, with 
a twenty-eight-stone-weight gentleman in a buggy to 
guide us. We went through Winnipeg, and drove past 
the Bishop's College, where we were yesterday, and so 
on to the illimitable prairie. 

It is covered with long grasses and wild flowers, and 
is flat as the sea, parts of it so swampy that our horses 
seemed to have difficulty in pulling us through it. It 
has a peculiar smell, and there is a delightful air upon 
it, and one begins to feel the freedom-of-the-savage rais- 



354 ^^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xviii 

ing one's spirits. We drove in this way for three hours 
(the servants following), our only adventure being the 
fall of Captain Smith's horse, and his narrow escape of 
being run over by the ambulance. 

Have I told you that we are bound for the Peni- 
tentiary at Rockwood ? The building is erected on " the 
big, stony mountain," which is really only a rise of 
eighty feet above the level of the prairie. It is lime- 
stone rock, and descends quite suddenly on the other 
side — like a precipice — back to the great plain-level. 

When we got within half a mile of the place, we 
were met by some gentlemen, who said they wished us 
to arrive in a vehicle peculiar to the country — namely, a 
Red River cart. These are made entirely of wood, and 
this one was ornamented with boughs, and was drawn 
by eighty oxen ! D. and I, Mrs. Littleton and Nellie, 
got in, and our eighty beasts, each conducted by a man 
with ribbons round his hat, began to move off. It was 
such fun, and looked so very pretty and picturesque. 
Sometimes an ox would become a little troublesome, but 
he was soon brought to order, and I felt like a barbarian 
princess as I drove along in this carriage of primitive 
magnificence. 

We passed through a beautiful triumphal arch, made 
of grain, with a spinning-wheel, plow, and other agri- 
cultural implements on the top of it. D. here got out, 
and answered the address, and then we returned to our 
triumphal car, and drove on, attended by a crowd, to 
the doors of the prison, A very handsome arch had 
been put up about a hundred yards from it, and fifty 
yards nearer to the house was another : these two were 
connected with chains of green rope, hung from poles 
with flags on them, and a new road ran between the two, 
which is the first part of a road to Winnipeg. I was 
asked to open it, and was presented with a spade. I 



AUG. i877 ROCKWOOD PENITENTIARY. 355 

emptied some earth out of a smart little barrow, and 
then we all went in to lunch. 

Our hostess is a half-breed lady, pretty, and very 
nice, and her husband, Mr. Bedson, is the warder of this 
prison. They gave us an excellent lunch, and the usual 
toasts. In his speech D. told them that he much pre- 
ferred going to jail in a cart to leaving it in one. 

After this, we walked on the prairie, to breathe the 
delicious air, and looked at the snake-hole, where, Mrs. 
Bedson told me, they had killed 360 snakes in three 
days in the spring ! It seems to be a rendezvous, where 
the snakes appear suddenly, half frozen with the winter 
cold. We looked at the prisoners' garden, but when I 
proposed to look at the prison I was told all the people 
were asleep. 

We were dreadfully sleepy ourselves, and were 
actually in the enjoyment of " forty winks " in our very 
comfortable bedrooms when our dinner was announced, 
about nine o'clock. The guardians of the penitentiary 
had arranged some fireworks, and we sat upon the prairie 
watching them until bedtime. 

Thursday^ i6th. — kX. eleven o'clock last night there 
was the most beautiful cloudless, starlit sky, but I was 
awoke by a terrific thunderstorm, peals of thunder, and 
flashes of vivid lightning. The driver of one of our 
wagons was knocked down by the shock of one crash, 
and on our way to St. Andrews to-day we came across 
the body of a cow killed by lightning. It was enor- 
mously swollen, but the mud in its hoofs was quite 
moist. 

We breakfasted at eight, and went over the building. 
It is quite new, and the men's department is beautiful to 
look at. At present it is very expensive, as there are 
fourteen officials to fourteen prisoners. The women's 
cells are not nearly so good as the men's, and I felt the 
24 



356 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvm 

more sorry for this, as the one inmate was a wretched 
lunatic. 

We said good-by to Mr. and Mrs. Bedson and drove 
off over the prairie again. The storm had passed, and 
the day was lovely. About two we reached St. Andrews, 
one of the oldest settlements in the province. It is on 
the banks of the Red River, and is very prettily situated. 
We found an arch, or rather bower, there, made of 
branches, flags, and colored cloths ; the platform inside 
it was circular, so all the people could see us. D. replied 
to the address, and then we shook hands with every 
one, and Nellie and I were presented with bouquets 
in pretty Indian "roggins." A very good lunch, on the 
teetotal principle, was given us, and our healths were 
drunk in water. Two mottoes in the luncheon-room 
were, ^^ Kit Atiimiskatinan^'' which means "We welcome 
you," in the Cree language; the other was — 

Native, or English, Canadian we, 

Teuton, or Celt, or whatever we be. 

We are all of us loyal in our welcome to thee. 

The young lady who presented me with the bouquet 
made me a long speech in Cree, trembling violently the 
while, and a girl in the school who read a poem of wel- 
come was almost speechless with fright. Then I gave 
the prizes at a ladies' school, and after this we got into 
our carriage again, and drove five miles more along the 
banks of the Red River to the "Little Stone Fort" 
where we slept. A very sad thing happened here last 
Dominion Day (July ist). Owing to the explosion of 
some gunpowder, five children belonging to the Fort 
were killed, and our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Flett, lost two, 
so they are very depressed. I hope our visit and the 
consequent bustle and change may do the poor woman 
good. 



AUG. 1877 LITTLE STONE FORT. 357 

This is one of the Hudson's Bay stores, and is quite 
a fortified place. We all enjoy the air so much, and 
have had another very pleasant day. I have written 
this out on the balcony, while our rooms are being pre- 
pared. We have our own cook and provisions, so we 
are not such an invasive army as we appear. D. is 
drawing, Nellie climbing up everywhere to look into 
everything, the others walking about seeing the sights. 
It is a very restful evening after our journey. 

Friday^ lyth. — We got into our wagons directly 
after breakfast, and started on our way, rejoicing in the 
beautiful weather. 

When we had gone about five miles we came to 
signs of festivity : flags flying, and sounds of music, 
Indian warriors dancing in time to the band, and utter- 
ing their own extraordinary shouts. They were curious- 
looking creatures ; most of their legs were naked, though 
so covered with paint that they looked clothed. One 
had his legs of a dull white color, with large black bands 
spread over them. Another had black stripes. The 
upper man was variously dressed : either a cotton shirt, 
or colored pieces of cloth, or shawls were worn ; the 
heads had feathers stuck about them, and the faces 
were elaborately painted. The most striking decora- 
tion I saw w^as a large green caterpillar, painted crawl- 
ing up a man's cheek, and losing itself in his eye. The 
chief wore the coat which I described to you in a former 
letter, and which he had then lent to one of his followers 
when he sent him to ask us to come and see him. This 
band of brethren are pagans (from economical motives), 
and are not very good friends with the Christian In- 
dians we are on our way to see. 

From the place where we met this strange assembly 
we went slowly, followed by the crowd, through the 
town of Selkirk, to the place where another large arch, 



358 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xvm 

surmounted by railway implements, was erected ; for 
this is the spot where the great Pacific Railway is to 
cross the Red River ; then we got on to a platform, 
and had an address, and looked at all these Indians, 
and went through the regular busmess of presenta- 
tions, etc. 

We next drove on towards the Indian Reserve, and 
at its entrance were saluted by a large deputation, who 
came to welcome us there. One was a splendid man 
with a large necklace of feathers, bare legs, and squares 
of beaded cloth gracefully covering the rest of his body. 
He had in his hand a standard, like a gigantic hand- 
screen ; it was a long pole with a stiff fringe of feathers 
the whole way down it, and red cloth setting it off as a 
trimming. 

We stopped for lunch soon after this, and spent a 
couple of hours very pleasantly sitting about on the 
grass, before we walked on to the grand " Pow-wow " 
place. The chief is called by the unromantic name of 
" Henry Prince," and is a gentleman in a fine red coat, 
and with two enormous medals on his breast. He re- 
ceived us in an arbor platform, and gave D. a very pretty 
address, which he answered, each of his sentences being 
translated. This over, the chief asked to speak, and 
then he made a long oration, telling all his grievances. 
D. told him to write them down, and send them to him 
on paper. We went into the school, and heard a hymn 
sung and saw a canoe-race. We walked all round the 
camp, to visit the women and children. The little 
babies have their legs packed in dry moss, and are then 
tied up tight in a sort of back-board. D. had two guns 
and two watches to present to chiefs, and on his own 
behalf he gave four bullocks for a feast, so we left them 
all in good spirits, while we had a pleasant drive back, 
getting to Stone Fork at six o'clock. 



AUG. 1877 CAMPING OUT. 359 

Saturday^ i8th. — We had a long drive home from 
"Stone Fort" and got to Silver Heights in the after- 
noon. 

Sunday^ ipth. — The Bishop of Rupert's Land preached 
at Winnipeg, and came back to lunch with us. 

Mo7tday, 20th. — Another expedition ! The first thing 
we heard this morning was the sound of rain, and when 
we got up the day looked most unpromising ; however, 
we started about ten, the four gentlemen riding, Mrs. 
Littleton and her maid, Nellie and I in the ambulance 
drawn by four horses. We got on very well for the first 
three hours, when we came to some fearful swamps. 
Our horses plunged through water and mud, the 
wheels of our carriage sinking, first on one side and 
then on the other ; two or three times the horses in the 
carts sat down in despair, and once they sunk so deep in 
the mire that the whole caravan had to stop and help to 
pull them out. The rain came on in torrents, and there 
was thunder growling overhead. Altogether it was not 
a nice day for camping out. We expected to reach our 
destination at two, and to lunch there, but owing to our 
adventures in the bogs we did not get there till five, and 
we were all wet and famished. The I>ieutenant-Govern- 
or had arrived before, and he gave us shelter and some 
tea, which revived us; then the rain cleared off, we 
made up a nice fire, and things began to look better. 
Our cook had been in the most unfortunate cart, and 
had been over his knees in water most of the day, but 
the moment he arrived he lit his fire, and made us a din- 
ner of good soup, mutton chops, and potatoes. It was 
next discovered that three tents had been left behind — 
three out of six ; however, we managed very well with- 
out them. D., Nelly, and I had one tent, Mrs. Littleton 
and her maid another (our maids take the expeditions in 
turns — mine came last time), and the three gentlemen 



360 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, cii. xviii 

the third. We had stretcher-beds, with buffalo-robes 
and blankets on them, and dry hay on the floor, so we 
were really very comfortable. Our camping ground is 
near water, half river, half swamp, and as we can get 
wood, water, and milk, we shall return here for another 
night on our way back. I rather dread going through 
those bogs again ! 

Tuesday, 21st. — We were awoke rather early by the 
noises of camp-life; wood being chopped up, conversa- 
tions going on in every tent, etc., and I had some diffi- 
culty in keeping Nellie in bed till the orthodox hour of 
seven, but, as I am very much afraid of her being over- 
tired on this expedition, I have to insist upon this. The 
weather was much better — the sun shone, but the wind 
was very cold. It was nearly ten before everything 
was packed, and we were on our way to the Mennonite 
settlement. Four of these men met us on horseback, 
some way from their farms, and rode before us through 
their Reserve. You know that the Mennonites have left 
Russia for conscientious reasons, in the same way that 
they left their native land, Germany, and settled in 
Russia, because they will not fight, and these two coun- 
tries require that their subjects should serve in the army. 
The Mennonites are most desirable immigrants ; they re- 
tain their best German characteristics, are hard-working, 
honest, sober, simple, hardy people ; they bring money in- 
to the country, and can settle in a woodless place, which 
no other people will do. Necessity (in Russia) has taught 
them to make a peculiar fuel — cakes of manure, mixed 
with straw — which is kept a whole year to dry thor- 
oughly, and which looks exactly like turf ; with this 
they get through the long Canadian winter without 
wood or coal. They speak nothing but German, and 
are Lutheran, to which form of religion they add the 
Quakers' non-fighting doctrine. They dress in the plain- 



AUG. 1877 MENNONITE SETTLEMENT. 361 

est and least decorative fashion ; the women, from their 
birth to their graves, tie up their heads in colored hand- 
kerchiefs fastened under their chms, and wear dark-col- 
ored stuff gowns, the baby's being made after the same 
fashion as its mother's. The men shave, and wear black 
stocks round their throats. Partly in consequence of 
this unbecoming costume, all the people, men and wom- 
en, are plain. One hundred and twenty families arrived 
in Canada three years ago and settled on this bare 
prairie one autumn day. For a week they had not a 
roof to cover them, and slept under their carts ; then 
they dug up the sods, and with them made rude huts, in 
which they lived through one of our long and severe 
winters. This is, therefore, their third year here — and 
now I will tell you how we find them situated. 

We drove about five miles through their Reserve, 
which is eighteen miles square, and in so doing passed 
through five or six villages of farmhouses ; they are not 
in streets, each house being surrounded by land. The 
houses are cottages, very plainly built, roofed with 
very thick hay thatch, the walls wooden, but covered 
with plaster. Next to and opening into the living- 
house is a large building in which the cattle spend the 
winter. 

Everything looks very neat ; home-made wooden 
furniture, flowers in the windows, nice gardens, etc. 
Each family is given 160 acres of land, and the way in 
which they work their farms enables them to do so very 
advantageously. 

Supposing there are twenty families in a village, they 
put all the land together, and mark out the different 
spots which are best suited to particular crops ; thus, all 
the pasture is in one part, all the potatoes in another, 
and so on. Each man, however, works his own share 
of each crop, and has his profit to himself. Their 



362 ^^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xviii 

church is most simple — plain deal forms without backs, 
and no ornament anywhere. 

After driving through these prosperous-looking vil- 
lages, and passing through great corn-fields, we saw be- 
fore us on the open prairie an arbor erected and in front 
of it at least 700 people. The men stood on one side 
with specimens of their farm produce before them, corn 
grown from Russian seed, from Canadian seed, flax, etc. 
The women on the other side showed their garden prod- 
uce. The babies and children were out too. In the 
arbor were three girls, with lace handkerchiefs on their 
heads, and trays with glasses in their hands, ready to 
offer us some Russian tea, which was most refreshing 
after our cold drive. The arbor was very prettily hung 
with garlands of flowers and bunches of corn mixed 
with poppies, and there were tables all round it, and Ht- 
tle Christmas-trees, on which hung bouquets with some 
German lines of welcome wrapped round each, the whole 
most charmingly done. Mr. Hespeler, the Mennonite 
agent, who arranged the whole of this immigration, was 
with us, and acted as interpreter. The Mennonites' 
most learned man read, and Mr. Hespeler translated, a 
very nice address, and D. replied in a speech which de- 
lighted them greatly. They never cheered, but when 
anything pleased them they lifted their caps. In allu- 
sion to their peculiar tenets he said : " You have come 
to a land where you will find the people with whom you 
are to associate engaged indeed in a great struggle, 
and contending with foes whom it requires their best en- 
ergies to encounter. But those foes are not your fellow- 
men, nor will you be called upon in the struggle to stain 
your hands with human blood — a task so abhorrent to 
your religious feelings. The war to which we invite 
you as recruits and comrades is a war waged against 
the brute-forces of nature : but those forces will wel- 



AUG. 1877 THE MENNONITES. 363 

come our domination, and reward our attack by placing 
their treasures at our disposal. It is a war of ambition 
— for we intend to annex territory — but neither blazing 
villages nor devastated fields will mark our ruthless 
track ; our battalions will march across the illimitable 
plains which stretch before us as sunshine steals athwart 
the ocean ; the rolling prairie will blossom in our wake, 
and corn and peace and plenty will spring where we 
have trod. ... In one word, beneath the flag whose 
folds now wave above us, you will find protection, 
peace, civil and religious liberty, constitutional freedom, 
and equal laws." 

We walked round, and muttered a few lame German 
sentences, and were as speechlessly polite as we could 
be. This being over, after a song from the school-chil- 
dren, Mr. Hespeler asked us over to his camp-fire, where 
we had Rhine wine and German cake, and where he gave 
hot coffee to the women who had come from a distance. 
Nellie made love to all the babies, and having nursed 
one for some time, its mother presented her with a cu- 
cumber. It was very pleasant sitting by the fire and see- 
ing the people enjoying their coffee on the grass. After 
an hour and a half spent here we walked to our camp, a 
quarter of a mile off. Some women showed us their 
houses, and then we dined, and sat round our own fire. 
Presently we saw fireworks rising -from the other camp, 
and so we got up an enormous torch, which was seen and 
responded to by a distant cheer, and one line of " He is 
a jolly good fellow." 

The only other thing I have to say about the Men- 
nonites is that the great proportion of those here are 
young, and that everybody has at least six children. 
Think what a gain they are to this country : in three 
years to have eighteen square miles of country settled 
by such people ! 



264 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xviii 

Wednesday^ 22d. — Our camp is on good ground, and 
we all slept very comfortably, and longer than we did 
the first night. We were packed up about ten, and set 
off to drive through some more villages. Mr. Hespeler 
took us into one house, and showed us the domestic ar- 
rangements. The only fault to find with these is that 
the stables open into the living-rooms. The inhabitants 
will gradually leave off this nasty plan, but it is their de- 
votion to their cattle which makes them wish to have 
them so near. The village herd and the village school- 
master are the only two paid laborers in the Mennonite 
vineyard: the clergyman receives no pay. School is not 
kept during the three summer months. 

We reached our new camping-ground early in the 
day, and the gentlemen went out shooting; they got a 
mixed but not a good bag — prairie chicken, snipe, plo- 
ver, duck, and a bittern, the latter quite delicious to eat. 
In the evening we sat over our camp-fire, and Mr. McKay 
told us some very interesting stories of his life. I must 
introduce him to you, for he is (to use a very Yankee 
expression) the " boss " of our party. He arranges every- 
thing for us, provides the horses, carriages, tents, beds, 
etc. 

The Hon. James McKay, M. P. (in the local Parlia- 
ment), has been a mighty hunter in his day, but as he 
now weighs 320 lbs., he leads a quieter though still a 
very active life. He has a pleasant face, and is very 
cheery, and a thorough " good fellow," but so enormous ! 
It is curious to see him filling up his buggy, and driving 
on before us, steering us through the bogs, and making 
signs to our driver to avoid danger on the way. His 
boy of eleven rides on a pony with him, and promises to 
be as large. I never saw such a fat boy. 

Mr. McKay is a half-breed. His parents had some 
French blood int hem, and he speaks the three languages, 



AUG. 1877 WINNIPEG. 365 

but I believe he talks Indian at home. He has lost 
one thumb, and besides this gunshot wound he has had 
several other very narrow escapes of his life. One day 
he and an English gentleman killed seven grizzly bears : 
there was a bag ! Mr. McKay shot four, and the English- 
man three ; but what seems to me the most wonderful 
feat is that he once killed a mother and two young cubs 
with a lasso. He had no gun with him, and the great 
bear came towards him on her hind paws ; he threw the 
lasso over her head, and, turning his horse quickly away, 
pulled her over on her back, and strangled her ; then 
he killed the cubs too. 

He said he thought nothing of it, as he had killed a 
black bear with a lasso when he was fourteen years old. 
" Jemmie " (his fat boy) is always practicing picking 
things off the ground when he is on horseback, with a 
view to future excellence with the lasso. Mr. McKay 
knows a great deal about the Indians, and it was very 
interesting to hear him talk of them. 

Thursday^ 23d. — We had about twenty-five miles to 
drive home, and as we got a good deal shaken we were 
very tired at night and ready to go very early to bed 
after reaching Silver Heights. The younger gentlemen, 
however, having gone to Mr. McKay's to see about some 
shooting, found dancing going on, and amused them- 
selves by trying to learn the Red River jig. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MANITOBA. 

Saturday^ August 2^ th. — Mrs. Morris and her daughters 
lunched with us, and we had a visit from an American 
Professor, who has come here to study the manners and 
customs of the ''hopper." As I have not a great deal 
of personal interest to tell you about to-day, I will try 
to instruct you in Manitoban zoology and entomology. 
You have of course heard of the grasshopper plague 
which devastates this country year after year. The 
creature is simply a hideous grasshopper, but he comes 
in such extraordinary numbers that he literally clears 
all before him — crops of all sorts, bark of young trees, 
leaves, buds, flowers, window-curtains, ladies' dresses. 
Nothing escapes his great appetite and ostrich-like pow- 
ers of digestion. He flies into your face, he climbs up 
your garments, he sits upon your food, he lets you walk 
upon him, drive over him, slay him by thousands, but 
still he forms a thick covering over your palings, and 
darkens the air with his devouring presence. He has 
but one merit — no, two : he does not bite you, and (if 
you can make up your mind to eat him) the Professor 
declares he is good to eat. 

The creature is supposed to be brought here by one 
"prevailing" wind and taken away by another. For 
two years (after fourteen of annual visitation) the peo- 
ple here have had a rest from him, and the crops are 
flourishing. 



AUG. 1877 INSECT LIFE. 367 

The common fly is a great nuisance too. We call 
him the " house " fly, but he also swarms on the prairie. 
He wakes us in the morning, assists at our breakfast, 
worries us while we write, and makes himself thoroughly 
objectionable, as a fly well knows how to do. 

In speaking of the mosquito I must change my pro- 
noun, for the Professor declares that it is only the fair 
ladies who bite. She is a real plague in this country, but 
we are fortunate enough to have escaped her almost en- 
tirely. An Englishman came out last year for pleasure, 
but after three days' journey into the land he turned 
back, finding only pain, and literally defeated by the 
attacks of the mosquitoes. I am told that they often 
kill animals by choking them, and that when so killed, 
a great ball of mosquitoes will be taken out of a 
cow's throat. This may be too interesting a fact for 
you to digest : stay-at-home people are so incredu- 
lous. 

Cows and horses have even a more fearful enemy in 
what is called here the " bulldog," but what we call the 
" horse-fly." They really do kill horses by the irritation 
they cause. Mr. McKay told us that by scraping his 
hand along the back of his horse he has taken off one 
hundred and seventy-three at once (don't smile !) ; and he 
described to us the mane of a horse standing on end 
with the crowds of flies in the hair, one on the top of the 
other, all struggling for blood. These nasty things come 
into the houses too, later in the year. I am very happy 
to add that the Professor says that blood is injurious to 
all these creatures, and that they are punished when they 
give way to their unhealthy appetites. 

There are no rats and no earthworms in Manitoba, 
but there are squirrels which come into the houses, and 
I am told that mice are plentiful, and are particularly 
fond of making a nest m one's best gown. 



368 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xix 

Oxen are much used as beasts of burden, and one 
sees a few mules. 

Monday^ 2'/th, — The gentlemen went out shooting for 
the whole day, and came back well pleased, though they 
were unable to find half the birds they shot. It came on 
to pour in the evening, and they lost one good hour's 
sport. 

We ladies lunched with the Morrises, and met Mr. 
Macpherson and Mr. Campbell, who have come all the 
way here by water (three weeks in canoes) ; we are go- 
ing over part of the same route, so they were able to 
give us some hints. Mr. Macpherson did not like it, 
and three weeks of pork and canoe-made bread made 
him ill. They fortunately had lime-juice with them. 

Tuesday, 28th. — We drove through rather a pleasant 
country, a wooded prairie, making our way towards the 
Winnipeg River, and did twenty-nine miles in the day. 
Our camping-ground is on the banks of a winding stream, 
and we were just settling down when we heard that one 
of the horses had fallen into the river. We went to look 
at the poor brute, floundering up to his neck in mud ; 
he was getting very much exhausted, and we were al- 
most afraid the men would be unable to save him, but 
they did manage to get him out. Another misfortune 
was that a cart, containing the men's food and bedding, 
broke down on the way, and did not arrive till very late ; 
and a third that my maid is ill. She has been so for a 
few days, but said nothing, and to-night she has a fear- 
ful headache. 

Wednesday^ 2pth. — Alexander is still very ill, and 
naturally thinks everything very horrid, camp-beds too 
hard, tin cups nasty ; she touches everything with the 
points of her fingers, and makes a face over everything 
she tastes ; she really is ill, and I hope she will like this 
life better when she is well. 



AUG. i877 ST. ANDREWS, 36^ 

We expected to go through a number of swamps, but 
the weather has been so dry that happily there were 
none to speak of. We had not gone more than two 
miles when a whole cavalcade of horsemen met us. 
They wore red sashes across their shoulders, and rode 
on Indian saddles, much embroidered with beads. There 
was one little boy on an enormous horse, which nearly 
pulled him off when it attempted to eat, which it did 
often. The horses are not trained much, and have very 
hard mouths. These riders were French half-breeds, 
and looked very Indian. They rode beautifully, and 
galloped by us for over two miles, firing 2i feu-de-Joie 
every few minutes. When we got near to St. Andrews 
we found that the people had made an impromptu avenue 
of trees fully a mile long, and at the end of it an arch 
decorated with arms and welcomes. This settlement 
looks very flourishing and well cultivated. The people 
read a French address, and D. replied in the some lan- 
guage. Then an English one was read, and answered. 
After this we went on, accompanied for some way by 
our cavaliers, and after they left us we halted and had 
lunch. 

About five o'clock we reached our camping-ground, 
having driven thirty miles, and having had one little in- 
terval of prairie-shooting on the way. When the horses 
were unharnessed we all set to work : the gentlemen 
pitched the tents, we picked up sticks, and made two 
fires, and then I made four beds, and plucked a duck 
for dinner ! This meal was highly appreciated by us all, 
and we sat round the fire and listened to some of Mr. 
McKay's stories. The gentlemen were made very angry 
by hearing that at seven in the morning a bear was seen 
quite close to our camp ! The men thought of telling 
them, but did not, and it was so close they could easily 
have got it. Was not that provoking ? 



370 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xix 

The prairie-fowl shooting is very odd. The birds re- 
main in the grass quite close to the sportsman, and 
stare at him till he makes them get up, and then some- 
times they flop down again before any one can shoot. 
Yesterday, the mother of the brood which had been 
ruthlessly shot down sat calling for her young, and 
looking about quite close to us. 

Thursday, joth. — Traveling on the Dawson route. 
A hot day, and the road dusty and extremely rough. We 
were very tired by two o'clock, when we stopped at a 
sort of half-way house to rest and have lunch. The 
hostess was a Norwegian, with five children — four most 
charming, pretty little girls, the fifth, a baby, seven days 
old! She, poor woman, had got up to decorate her 
room for us, and to make flags She seemed such a nice 
person, and she wept bitterly when we left. Of course 
she was very weak, and she lives in a very lonely place, 
and was glad to see somxC one to speak to ; her prospects 
are not good, as her husband is delicate, and does not 
seem to get on. They are just going to move to the 
Pembina Mountains, where they have taken up a farm 
of i6o acres. Neither he nor she knows anything of 
farming, and when they reach the place they will have 
to build a house. We named the Norwegian baby 
Frederica. The other children had made a train in the 
yard, with a piece of stone for an engine, snow-shoes 
and boxes for carriages, etc. When D. saw it he asked 
for tickets, which one child instantly produced, and 
which everybody, entering into the spirit of the game, 
bought. They immediately took the money to their 
mother, and we were able to please them with some 
little necklaces we had for the Indians. Johann Nord 
is the father's name. 

During the afternoon-half of our journey we passed 
through a bush fire, but not close enough to the actual 



AUG. i877 A ''CORDUROY' ROAD. 371 

blaze to be very much annoyed by the smoke. We did 
not get to our camping-ground till six, and then we had 
some new experiences, for there was no water and no 
food for the horses. We had to dig for the former, and 
Mr. McKay tried to take his horses somewhere for 
better grass, but they would not leave the carts, where 
they hoped to find corn. 

This part of the country is wooded, and there is no 
scenery at all. 

We are in Keewatin now. It is governed by a 
council, and has not a Lieutenant-Governor of its own, 
though Mr. Morris is what is called the " Administrator." 

Friday, jist. — Before lunch we did about seventeen 
miles, and as the road was rough we were glad of the 
rest in the middle of the day. When we started again, 
we were told that we had only nine miles to go, and 
thought we should have such an easy afternoon. It 
proved a very hard one. We had five miles of swamp, 
and a road made with rough-hewn trunks of trees. 
When first made this sort of perpetual bridge is not dis- 
agreeable, but when time has worn furrows in it the jog- 
ging of the ambulance wagon upon it is not to be de- 
scribed ! 

When we had been knocked about as much as we 
could bear we got out and walked a couple of miles; 
but almost our whole journey was over corduroy road, 
and as we had to go at a foot's pace, it was very fa- 
tiguing. 

As you may guess, a "corduroy" road is a Brob- 
dingnagian imitation of the material worn by rough lit- 
tle boys, and when an occasional " cord " has broken 
away altogether, when another has got loose, and turns 
round as the horse puts his foot on it, or when it stands 
up on end as the wheel touches it, the corduroy road is 
not pleasant to drive many miles over ! In consequence 
25 



372 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xix 

of our slow progress, it was quite dark when we reached 
our camping-ground, and the cook did not arrive till 
half-past seven. 

Saturday^ September ist. — Ten or twelve miles of rough 
road brought us to the North-West Angle, where we 
found a beautifully decorated steamer on the Lake of 
the Woods. 

There were a few Indians about: one who is always 
called " Colonel Wolseley," because he was guide to Sir 
Garnet, on the Red River Expedition. 

We had got up at six in order to do our steamer voy- 
age by daylight ; but our horses wandered away in the 
night, and it took some time to catch them, so that it 
was one o'clock before we had done the twelve miles, 
and packed our things into the boat. We had to part 
with Mr. McKay here, and to put ourselves into the 
hands of twenty-six canoe-men. They all came on board 
at the North-West Angle, which is a morsel of the United 
States mixed up with our land. 

We had such a pleasant afternoon in the steamer. 
The Lake of the Woods, about which we had heard 
nothing, proved to be quite lovely ; islands innumerable, 
rocky and wooded, a great variety of shapes and sizes, 
sometimes far away, and sometimes so close to the 
steamer as quite to darken it. We lunched and dined 
on board, and did not land until it was dark, and the 
setting-up of our camp was most difficult. We could 
only get three tents up, and I had to be one of four in 
mine, so we were rather crowded. 

I found that we were close to the house of one of our 
Ottawa brides, who has come out here with her husband. 
She was a Miss Ashworth, and he a Mr. Fellowes. We 
went up to see her, and found her very happy and cheer- 
ful. She has one neighbor nine miles away, and a second 
eighteen miles off. 



SEPT. 1877 THE WINNIPEG RIVER. 373 

Sunday^ 2d. — We had such a pleasant day after once 
we had got into our canoes and were well started. The 
weather was lovely, and the River Winnipeg beautiful 
We have two large and two small canoes. The first big 
one carries D. and Nellie and me, and eight men, and a 
good deal of luggage ; the second. Colonel and Mrs. 
Littleton, and eight men. The first small one had the 
two A. D. C.'s, Nowell, and six men ; and the other smalj 
one held three servants and six men — that is to say, 
there ought to be six men in the two small ones, but 
two left us, so our servants take it in turns at the pad- 
dles. We were most comfortable, and lay back reading 
and looking at the scenery, and occasionally doing a lit- 
tle sleeping. Sometimes the men sang the Canadian 
boat-songs which sound so delightful on the water, and 
sometimes they cheered themselves up by racing the 
other canoes. Our tents, luggage, and provisions are 
distributed over all the boats. In the middle of the day 
we landed to lunch, and at five we stopped on a piece of 
ground where Sir Garnet Wolseley and his troops once 
camped. Nellie and I had a nice bathe, and returned to 
find our camp full of activity ; our twenty-four men, and 
four gentlemen and three servants hard at work chop- 
ping wood, putting up tents, mending canoes, cooking 
dinners, and making beds. The latter is a most impor- 
tant office. The bed-maker gets a quantity of dry grass 
and small branches of fir, which are laid one over the 
other so as to form a spring mattress. A buffalo-robe 
goes over that, and then blankets ad libitum. 

We had dinner of hot soup, curry, stewed beef, duck, 
and prairie chicken, and a blueberry pudding, our cook 
having got up early to pick the blueberries. The soup 
and the beef were carried here in tins, the game has 
been shot on the way. Monsieur Beselin, our cook, has 
done so well. When we were driving he used to arrive 



374 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xix 

sometimes long after us, when it was quite dark, and in 
five minutes' time he would be hard at work, and our 
dinner well under way. Mr. McKay, who is a great 
traveler, said he never saw a man who could produce a 
dinner so expeditiously, and get his things packed up 
again so quickly. In addition to this, he is always in a 
good humor, and in the daytime now he paddles away 
with a beaming countenance. 

Strange to say, though on the banks of a splendid 
river, we have no good drinking-water, and are obliged 
to suck it through a sort of baby's-bottle filter ! In the 
matter of drink we are badly off ; we have brought no 
wine, so as to lessen our luggage ; we have no milk (ex- 
cept preserved milk), and, as I said before, good water 
is hard to get. Tea is our principal beverage, but 
without milk it is not very nice. We also have choco- 
late (which makes us thirsty). 

Monday, jd. — Up at six ; lovely morning ; the gentle- 
men bathed, and we got off on our travels by 8.30. 
We had another delightful day. We made two portages, 
and at the end of the second we lunched ; a waterfall, 
which we escaped by our portage, was really a very 
pretty and important one ; and after lunch we went 
over such an exciting rapid : it was a great dip, the 
other part of the water being quite smooth, and we 
seemed to slide over it, and then to plunge into a stormy 
sea, the canoe gallantly rising to the waves. At this 
one there were great cries of *' Back water ! " and ener- 
getic signs made to the canoes behind us to avoid a cer- 
tain rock on the way. Later on we had another very 
exciting descent, where the stream carried us at a fear- 
ful pace sharp round a rock ; we were all covered with 
water-proofs, and some of the canoes shipped a good 
deal of water. 

The scenery is beautiful : the Winnipeg seldom looks 



SEPT. i877 THE ''WHITE DOG MISSION." 3^5 

like a river, but nearly always like a lovely lake full of 
islands. They are rocky and wooded, and sometimes 
there are steep precipices of rock. The foliage is varied 
(not all pine), and the delightful weather helps to make 
it all charming. 

We camped at five, and the usual busy scenes were 
enacted. I watched the way the men kneaded their 
bread, and then I made a loaf ; they use a little baking- 
powder, and pour the water actually into the sack of 
flour, and do all the kneading in the top of it ; then 
they spread the dough out in a frying-pan, and put it 
before a good fire. A very nice sort of cake is the 
result. Pemmican soup is another of their dishes, and 
really it is not at all bad, and it is very (excuse the 
word) "filling," which is a great advantage. 

It is wonderful how quickly these men put up our 
tents, especially as they have to cut down trees to make 
room for them. I don't think they were half an hour 
getting them up to-night, lighting all the fires, and un- 
packing all the things. Each crew has its own cook 
and mess. 

We stopped at a small Mission we saw on the way, 
to get some milk. It is called the "White Dog Mis- 
sion," and a half-breed clergyman lives there. His wife 
has been ill a year, has never seen a doctor, and is now 
on her back in a birch-bark tent, where she thinks she 
has more air than in a house. I went in to see her: she 
can speak English a little, but did not seem to have 
more comfortable surroundings than an Indian. We 
w^ere sorry we had no doctor with us to help the poor 
thing, and such cases make one realize the hardship of 
living in these lonely parts. 

Tuesday, 4th.— Tht v/eather and the delights of our 
journey have been much the same as on the last two 
days. The only events were the view of one most lovely 



376 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xix 

waterfall, and some fine rapids. At the fall the river 
was about half a mile wide, and the fall stretched the 
whole way across. It is really an enormous rapid, but 
except in height, it is one of the finest waterfalls I have 
seen. We portaged across, and got into our canoes 
again at the foot of it. 

There was one rapid which D. went down but would 
not allow me to try, as there was some danger that one 
might be swept into a whirlpool and upset ; but all the 
canoes got safely through it. 




RAT PORTAGE. 



We have just camped at a portage for the night. We 
landed at one side of an island, and the canoes and all 
our goods were carried to the other side of it ; there we 
found ourselves (to use geographical language, without 
really studying the points of the compass) "bounded 
on the north " by a waterfall, flowing from us; on the 
south by a great rapid and a wood ; wood on the east, and 
an island filling up the space between the Rapid and the 
Fall on the west. To-morrow we have to rov/ across 
the little basin, and portage to the bottom of the Fall. 

This Winnipeg surpasses all rivers I have ever seen, 
being so much more beautiful than the other large rivers 
and lakes I have been on. We enjoy our days im- 



SEPT. 1877 RAPIDS. 377 

mensely, and are sorry we have only two more of this 
delightful life. 

D. is so industrious about drawing ; he has made a 
quantity of pretty sketches. 

Wednesday^ ^th. — 1 tried to describe to you the situ- 
ation of our camping-ground, and I hope I made it clear 
that we had just to cross a small bay to the head of a 
waterfall, and to portage there, getting into our canoes 
again at the bottom. The crossing was very exciting, 
for we approached the Fall as if we were just going over 
it, and at the last moment we turned into an eddy, which 
swept us into a quiet landing-place. 

From the bottom, these great rapids are really beau- 
tiful ; they appear like one great wall of water, stretch- 
ing the whole width of the river, and divided into four 
by islands covered with trees. 

After we got into our boats we had a very short way 
to go before reaching another portage, and here the 
rapid went round two sides of an island, and we got in 
at the quiet side (the third), and came round to the front 
of the Fall, where we could look up at it. The weather 
continues to be perfectly lovely — a bright sun, not too 
warm, and everything is so gay and pleasant. 

The third portage we made was about three quarters 
of a mile long, but we could not see the danger we es- 
caped until we were some way from it ; then we looked 
back on a very fine fall. At the fourth portage we 
crossed an island which divided an immense rapid, and 
came to a place which looked worse to go down than 
anything I have hitherto seen ; the two rapids met here, 
and there was such a bubbling and boiling that the un- 
instructed eye could not see the way out of the diffi- 
culty. We appeared to start straight for a great hole, 
and then to be borne away from it by a back current, 
and I was very glad when I found myself safe at the 



378 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xix 

bottom, and when we landed at a very pretty camping- 
ground. 

Indians have put up on a post the skull of a bear, to 
show other Indians that they have killed bears here, and 
we have taken the teeth as souvenirs of the place. 

We came down another long, rough rapid, and then 
down some pretty little ones, and stopped rather early 
to camp, because the place was so beautiful we wished 
to stay at it. 

It is at the mouth of the Birch River, which here 
flows into the Winnipeg; and the two are flowing in 
opposite directions round an island. There are five or 
six other islands in sight, but the ground itself is not 
very good for camping : the rock shelves into the water, 
and we have to cut places in the wood behind for our 
tents. 

Thursday, 6th. — We have been going down quite a 
chain of rapids this morning, and have had five portages 
one after the other. At the bottom of each we looked 
up at what this country calls " rapids," but what any 
other would dignify by the name of waterfalls. Some 
of us came down one that really was a precipice ; there 
was a descent of quite four feet, almost perpendicular, 
so that our canoe slanted headforemost down, and then 
rose lightly on the waves. 

The whole afternoon we had a fair wind, and sails 
were improvised in each canoe ; with them we went very 
fast through the water, and landed at five much nearer 
to Fort Alexander than we had expected to get. On one 
side of us there is a roaring rapid, and another one lies 
before us, for to-morrow morning. My tent is in a most 
picturesque spot : I am in an arbor of trees, and I look 
across the lovely little bay, and down the river — sum- 
mer lightning enabling me to see the view every now 
and then. Nellie's tent is behind mine, and she rejoices 



SEPT. 1877 FORT ALEXANDER. 



379 



in the noise of the Fall, which she thinks a delightful 
lullaby. 

Friday, yth. — We finished all our camping without hav- 
ing had a drop of rain, but this morning the sky looked 
gloomy, and we had our waterproofs ready to put on. 
We got up at six, and had only a cup of chocolate and a 
biscuit, so that we might get off quicker ; for when we 
have a more elaborate breakfast we have to wait'so long 
while the dishes are being washed. 

The consequence of our frugality was that we got 
over " the long portage " by 8.30 ; and very long it was, 
more than three quarters of a mile, hilly and slippery 
ground, and hard for the men to carry the heavy canoes 
over. This day we made five portages, and as the rain 
did come on a little, and as the sky was cloudy, they 
seemed more tiresome than usual. At one of the port- 
ages a canoe fell, and an immense hole was made in it- 
The men set to work and mended it quickly : they got 
balsam-root, with which they sewed the birch-bark over 
and over, and then with rosin they covered the stitches 
up, and the canoe was ready for the water again. 

There was only one shower in the morning, but as 
we were approaching Fort Alexander in the afternoon it 
began to rain pretty hard. The sight of their destina- 
tion set the men a-singing, and we had all sorts of boat- 
songs, and rowed our four canoes up to the quay to the 
triumphant tune of " En roulant ma boule." 

Gunshots were fired off from various cottages on the 
banks as wa passed them, and when we landed we found 
arches prepared for us to pass under. 

The hostess at this fort is the daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. Flett, of the Stone Fort; her husband is a Mr. 
Mackenzie, and she has one dear little boy, and a baby. 

We had expected to meet our steamer here, but it 
has not arrived, so Mrs. Mackenzie is going to let us 



38o 



MV CANADIAN JOURNAL. 



CH. XIX 



camp in her house. As it is raining, it is very pleasant 
to be under a roof, and we enjoyed a cup of tea with 
" real" milk very much, though certainly we have not 
been able to complain of our food on this expedition ; it 
has been excellent, and it was for the first time yester- 




'{?^^^^^:-j<' 



INDIAN GRAVE AT FORT ALEXANDER. 



day that we had to do without bread, and take to sailor's 
biscuit instead. 

Satu7'day, 8th. — A great disappointment awaited us 
this morning — the unaccountable non-arrival of our 
steamer. She ought to have been waiting for us days 
ago, and we are shut up here until she does come. 
There is neither telegraph nor other communication 
with the outer world, and we wonder how vre shall " kill 
time." 



SEPT. 1 877 AN INDIAN GRAVE. 331 

We went to visit the liouse of an Indian who farms 
on a neighboring reserve, and found there the old Chief 
to whom D. gave a watch at St. Peter's, and a few of his 
friends. The house is very well built, but it has only 
one room ; and I hear that, however large their families 
may be, the Indians have not yet begun to wish for more 
accommodation. 

D. looked about, found fault, praised, and gave good 
advice and a parcel of tobacco. We wound the Chief's 
watch for him, showed him how to wear it, and conversed 
with his brother, who is a pagan, painted, and less civil- 
ized, but a very jolly old gentleman. He is trying to 
build a house, but fmds it much ' more difficult to make 
than a wigwam " ; and if the truth were told, he would 
probably consider it less comfortable when finished. 
The Chief told His Ex. that he was " very hungry " (they 
all say this), and D. said, " and I am starving, my steamer 
has not come in, and I have eaten all my provisions " ; 
upon which the Chief laughed immensely, and was, quite 
satisfied. 

We visited a curious grave — a coffin raised far from 
the ground on four posts. 

Thus did we spend the day, and we were just gomg; 
to sit down to dinner when in walked Mr. Campbell, 
carrying a mail-bag! Of course we thought our steamer 
had come. But no ; he had started in her, but she ran 
ashore in a fog, and after vainly trying to pull her off, 
the Captain sent him on to tell us of his misfortune. It 
is indeed a great disappointment to every one concerned. 
The steamer has been done up for us, and in her we 
hoped to go round Lake Winnipeg, and to get into the 
Saskatchewan ; now this appears to be impossible, and 
we shall have to hug the shore in canoes, and shall not: 
be able to do the Lake or the Saskatchewan at all. 

Mr. Campbell came in a flat-bottomed boat with two 



382 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xix 

men, and had a very adventurous journey ; one day he 
was blown fifteen miles out of his course, and had great 
difficulty in landing. He slept under his boat at night, 
and once a tremendous thunderstorm passed over him, 
I believe he really was several times in danger of being 
upset, there was such a strong wind. 

There is just a chance that, as the wind blows in the 
right direction, the Colville may get off her mudbank ; 
but we shall not know that yet. We have had such 
beautiful weather the last twenty-four hours that we re- 
gret the loss of our steamer immensely, and I am sure 
the Captain will be almost distracted. The reporter 
who was to have joined us in her would not face the 
flat -bottomed boat ! 

Sunday^ pth. — We were all up and ready for break- 
fast at seven o'clock, and by nine we had said " good- 
by " to the Mackenzies, and had packed our canoes, and 
started afresh on our way to Gimla (the Icelandic settle- 
ment). We had made up our minds to " rough it " in 
the way of provisions, and looked forward to a possible 
diet of pemmican. Ugh ! And we were bearing our 
disappointment in the most Christian manner, and were 
cheerfully reading our papers, and paddling along in 
our four canoes, when a cloud of smoke appeared on the 
horizon, and a cry of " The steamer ! " rose simultane- 
ously from all the boats. There she was, off her mud- 
bank, and on her way to meet us. We soon got on 
board, and we found her most comfortably fitted up. I 
must confess, when I first saw her at Winnipeg in her 
working-dress, that, with every desire to make the best 
of everything, my heart sunk a little at the idea of 
spending six days in her. Now she looks very nice ; 
she has been repainted, and the hold has been turned 
into a beautiful dining-room. It has been entirely lined 
with green baize, while the companion ladder is clothed 



SEPT. 1877 FORT ALEXANDER. 383 

in red, and she has altogether a most cheerful and com- 
fortable appearance. The gentlemen sleep in this saloon. 
On deck we have a sitting-room, and out of it are two 
cabins, with two berths in each. There is another nice 
large cabin for Colonel and Mrs. Littleton. 

When we came on board we found a little Icelandic 
maid-servant, on her way to Mrs. Mackenzie. She could 
only say " yes " and " no," and her principal luggage 
consisted of a flower-pot with a geranium growing in 
it. She went on to Fort Alexander in our canoes. We 
took a tender leave of all our men, who were greatly 
delighted with a little extra pay D. gave them. They 
were a most good-natured, friendly, shabby lot ; and 
each day their clothes got more and more ragged, but 
at Fort Alexander one or two new shirts and caps made 
their appearance. 

I think our own clothes are rather in the same dis- 
reputable condition ; for, what with dragging one's self 
through the bush, sitting by camp-fires, having holes 
burned in one's gowns, lying or sitting on one's hat, and 
never having one's boots cleaned, one is conscious of 
being rather uncivilized-looking when one re-enters so- 
ciety. I have been happy in the knowledge that after 
this journey my gown need never appear again, and that 
a misfortune more or less is a matter of no importance. 
I bought, too, at a Hudson's Bay store, a man's soft 
gray felt hat, which turns up or down, and accommo- 
dates itself to every ray of sunshine ; the rain may 
pour upon it with impunity, and I can lean back upon 
it, so that wearing it I suffer no economical pangs. The 
old gown is gray, and I have one new navy-blue serge 
in which to encounter natives ; and this is all the finery 
I could pack into the canoe. 

Nellie also has a dear old frock and hat, and one 
good one in a box for grand occasions ; but she can not 



384 ^ ^ CANADIA N JO URNAL. CH. xix 

have anything of hers on for two minutes without its 
meeting with some serious accident ; the glory of her 
smart frock has been sadly marred during the two days 
upon which she has worn it. 

Of course we have fresh provisions on the Colville, so 
the pemmican diet is postponed for a time. The re- 
porter has met us here again. 

Monday^ loth. — The longest day I have spent for 
some time. 

Lake Winnipeg is so large we were out of sight of 
land, and the Colville is a terrible ship for rolling. In 
this fine weather she rolled all day, and even when we 
anchored at night she went on swaying from side to 
side. 

Tuesday^ iith. — We started again early in the morn- 
mg, and landed at eight o'clock on the shores of the 
Saskatchewan. There is not very much to see at this 
particular spot : trees on each side of the river, two large 
wooden houses at the wharf, and some groups of Indians 
sitting about. They had put up decorations, and fired 
off their guns as usual. Mr. McTavish, one of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, came to meet us, and took us two 
miles across the portage on a tramway laid down since 
July, and the first railway in the Northwest. The car 
was most gorgeously lined with colored blankets, and 
when we got out of it we jumped into spring-carts, in 
which we did the unfinished part of the railway. Dur- 
ing the drive we saw some views of the river, and went 
to the Hudson's Bay Company's store. W> then in- 
spected a new steel steamer, and lunched ; and I put in 
a rivet in the last bit of the railway, and was presented 
with the hammer. We met here Mrs. Bompas, wife of 
the Bishop of Athabasca, and offered her a passage in 
our steamer, which she was thankful to accept. She has 
been traveling a month to get here, and her journey 



SEPT. i877 THE SASKATCHEWAN. 385 

from an opposite direction makes us feel as if we had 
not penetrated so very far into the country after all 
We also visited Mrs. Mathisson, a half-breed, who gave 
us some pretty specimens of her work. And then came 
the event of the day — our descent of the Grand Rapids 
of the Saskatchewan in a '' York " boat. The " York " 
is a very large, heavy, wooden boat, which holds about 
twenty people ; and the rapids we went down are four 
miles long. They are simply extremely rough water, 
and we found them more sea-sicky and less exciting 
than the Winnipeg River rapids. 

In our absence one of our servants got a good bear- 
skin from a man who killed the animal last night : he 
saw another bear there, but we have no time to go after 
it. We fished, but though we saw a man with a great 
barrowful of beautiful " white fish " fresh out of the 
water, caught nothing ourselves. Colonel Littleton got 
three pike in the morning. D. saw an Indian chief, and 
gave him a gun. 

We started off on our journey home about five 
o'clock, and looked forward with dread to Lake Win- 
nipeg. 

Wednesday^ 12th. — We had a very good night, and, 
still better, a beautiful day, so we enjoyed our voyage 
We talked to Mrs. Bompas, and heard her missionary 
experiences. She lives in a place where she never has 
milk or butter, bread only three times a week (as flour 
costs ;£"5 a bag), and fresh meat very rarely — pork and 
pemmican being her chief food all the year round. No 
spirit is allowed to be sold in the Northwest, so " the 
pleasures of the bottle " are also denied the inhabitants 
of these distant regions. 

In the middle of the day we went ashore to see some 
Indians. The Chief was such a funny old man. He 
gave wonderful expression to his one remark, repeated 



386 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xix 

in a variety of ways while D. was speaking to him ; all 
he ever said being " Ah ! " " Eh ! " " Ah ! " " Eh ! " but 
one understood his gratitude, his wonder, his assent, and 
all his feelings, perfectly well each time he emitted the 
sound. The receipt of a gun evoked a very well-satis- 
fied '' Ah ! " but the mention of pork and flour brought 
forth an enthusiastic " Eh ! " and a shout from his people. 

Thursday, 13th. — 4 a. m. : Rolling, rolling, doors bang- 
ing, jugs upsetting all the morning; no more sleep to be 
had, and the melancholy news that it is quite impossible 
to land at Gimla to greet us when we feebly struggle 
down to breakfast. 

Gimla is the Icelandic settlement which D. must see, 
and the alternative before us is either to roll about at 
anchor until the wind shifts, which it may do in a day 
or two, or to go all the way to the Stone Fort to coal, and 
return to-morrow (always provided the wind changes). 

D. thought the first alternative was out of the ques- 
tion for me, so we settled to come to the Stone Fort — 
and here I am. 

Once safe in a house, with the memory of the rolling 
fresh upon me, I could not make up my mind to seven 
hours more to Gimla and seven back again ; so Nellie, 
Mrs. Littleton, my maid, and I remain here for the 
night, while D. and the gentlemen, having arrived here 
at two, started back again at five. 

They will get to the mouth of the river before it is 
dark, anchor there, and, if they can land, go on to 
Gimla in the morning. 

It has been such a dreadful afternoon — pouring rain, 
and two fearful thunderstorms. I shall have to give you 
a second-hand account of Gimla. I am very sorry not 
to have seen it, but the Colville is such a lively little 
steamer in rough water that I dreaded fourteen hours 
more of her ! 



SEPT. 1877 GIMLA. 287 

We have telegraphed for horses, and hope to leave 
this to-morrow. Meantime, Mr. and Mrs. Flett are 
making us very comfortable. 

D. left with a very bad headache ; he was up and 
down all night, saving all our goods from being flung 
about the cabin, so I was not surprised that he had one. 

We landed Mrs. Bompas at the house of Archdeacon 
Cowley, where she is going to spend the winter. 

Friday^ 14th. — Our carriages arrived very early in 
the morning, and we were able to start before noon in 
the ambulance, or, as my maid calls it, the " rumble- 
tumble machine." 

We had, during the next six hours, a real specimen 
of Red River mud. Imagine driving twenty-five miles 
over a field of clay soil which has just been harrowed, 
and you may acquire some notion of the way in which 
our wheels were clogged with mud, and the horses' tails 
weighted down with great balls of it. Happily it was 
fine overhead, and we got " home " at five. 

We had six mail-bags to open, and were busy till 
dinner-time reading our letters. The housemaid cooked 
for us, and we enjoyed the quiet evening after all our 
traveling. 

Saturday, i^th. — Such a pouring morning ! We are 
so glad to be safe at Silver Heights. 

His Ex. got to Gimla yesterday. He spoke to the 
Icelanders, and said in his speech : " The homesteads I 
have visited seem well-built and commodious, and are 
certainly superior to any of the farmhouses I remember 
in Iceland ; while the gardens and little clearings which 
have begun to surround them show that you have 
already tapped an inexhaustible store of wealth in 
the rich alluvial soil on which we stand." He then 
welcomed them to his country, saying, " It is a country 
in which you will find yourselves freemen, serving no 



388 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xix 

overlord, and being no man's men but your own ; each 
master of his own farm, like the Udalmen and Bonders 
of old days " ; and concluded with these words : " I 
trust you will continue to cherish for all time the heart- 
stirring literature of your nation, and that from gen- 
eration to generation your little ones will continue to 
learn in your ancient Sagas that industry, energy, forti- 
tude, perseverance, and stubborn endurance which have 
ever been the characteristics of the noble Icelandic 
race." 

The gentlemen arrived this afternoon, but the serv- 
ants did not get through the mud till late in the even- 
ing. 

Sunday^ i6th. — So cold ! We are thankful for a fire, 
and shiver at the thought of our camp to-morrow. 

Church in the morning, and in the afternoon a visit 
from eight men, three ladies, and two children — all 
Americans from St. Paul, who have come here for a 
trip, remaining only two days, and coming in for bad 
weather. 

They brought me all sorts of messages from the 
ladies of St. Paul, who regretted so much they had not 
seen me there. They did not know I should be at the 
Reception, and when they heard I was, they '^ felt so 
badly," because they had not come to it. 

Monday^ lyth. — We did not manage to get off our- 
selves, and our baggage, till after two o'clock ; but then 
we started in the ambulance, and with all the usual rid- 
ing-horses and wagons, the only difference in our pro- 
cession being that, instead of the portly form of Mr. 
McKay, we had a clerk of his in our guiding-buggy. 

We reached the camping-ground at five, having 
driven to it across the prairie; but our provisions and 
our mattresses did not arrive, and at first we thought we 
had absolutely nothing to eat. On closer investigation, 



SEPT. 1877 A LEA THER LODGE. 389 

we found that the cook had a few scraps with him, and 
of them he made us a capital dinner. 

Instead of a belt-tent we tried a leather " lodge " — in 
other words, a regular Indian tent — the chief merit of 
which is, that in it you are able to have a good fire. We 
watched the men putting it up. There are thirteen long, 
stout poles. Three are tied together at the top, and are 
lifted up, and spread out at the bottom ; eight others are 
then fitted round these, so as to complete the circle at 
the bottom, and to form a frame for the leather cover- 
ing. Two corners of a large sheet of leather are at- 
tached to two more poles, and with these it is lifted over 
the skeleton frame-work ; these two poles also work the 
chimney apparatus. 

The tent is quite open at the top, but the two flaps 
of leather regulate the draught. We had a good fire to 
go to bed by, and to dress by in the morning; but we let 
it go out at night. The provisions arrived late in the 
evening. 

Tuesday, i8th. — We got up early, and were breakfast- 
ing when Mr. McKay arrived. We cheered his arrival, 
but I am sorry to say he brought the Littletons a tele- 
gram from Dr. Grant to say their baby is very ill, and 
that they had better return home. 

They went back to Winnipeg at once, and will tele- 
graph for further news; they can not get a boat to leave 
in till to-morrow, and the child may be better. 

We were a long time packing our wagons and catch- 
ing our horses ; but at last we started, and had a cold 
drive over the prairie. D. had a headache, caused, he 
thinks, by the extremely bad water we had to drink last 
night. It required no microscope to show the animals 
in it Of course we filtered it, but I don't think it was 
possible to make it wholesome. When we reached our 
luncheon-place D. lay down, and with a good fire we 



390 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xix 

got a little warm. The sun is bright, but the wind is 
bitter. 

The afternoon was equally cold, and when w^e reached 
our camping-ground I was glad to get the '■'■ lodge " up 
as quickly as possible, that D. might get to bed. He 
was very feverish, and had a terrible headache. 

Wedjtesday^ ipth. — I found the fire in my leather 
house so hot this morning that I had to let it burn down 
before I could dress at it. D. was better, and able to 
start in the ambulance with us. We drove past Shoal 
Lake, where we saw quantities of geese and of large 
crow-ducks standing upon pieces of rock in the water; 
our way lay through prairie, oak-coppice, and marsh, and 
after a drive of seventeen miles we began to see farm- 
houses here and there, then a Hudson's Bay station, and 
finally a little cottage, at which we stopped, and from 
which we looked out on Lake Manitoba. 

The cottage is Mr. McKay's. It consists of two 
rooms, in one of which our dinner will be cooked, and in 
the other eaten. We pitched all our tents close to the 
house. 

While waiting for the wagons to arrive, we walked 
down to the Lake, an enormous sheet of water, like a 
sea, with no land to be seen across it. It is fifty miles 
wide at this port. The shore is a beautiful sandy beach, 
and Nellie amused herself with the shells. D. after a 
little lunch felt well enough to go out for an hour to 
look after some ducks. Captain Smith brought home a 
bittern^ a plover, and three ducks, but no one else got 
anything. 

Thursday, 20th. — The gentlemen went off in four 
canoes this morning, and Nellie and I remained alone. 
We visited the Hudson's Bay store, where Mr. Clark 
was very civil to us ; showed us his bears, his dogs, 
his garden, and afterwards sent me a quantity of flow- 



SEPT. 1877 LAKE MANITOBA, oqj 

ers from it. The sun shone brightly, and it was very 
pleasant. 

The sportsmen got home about seven o'clock. His 
Ex. 18 head, Fred 16, Captain Smith 17, and Mr. McKay 

They had several sorts of duck, plover, bittern, 
grebe, and coot. They saw over a thousand duck, but 
they were difficult to approach. D. says the shooting 
was very pretty and curious. They paddled to a sort of 
marsh, where there were gigantic rushes forming streets, 
lanes, and squares of water." About these waterways 
they went, trying to get quietly up to the duck ; but the 
birds were very wild. 

After dinner Mr. Clark and an Indian agent came 
over from the Hudson's Bay store, and sat by our fire. 
Mr. Clark has lived here nine years. He has not one 
single neighbor or companion, and is unmarried. 

Mr. McKay described to us how he shot sixteen 
swans here last April. He had an enormous tub made 
for himself, which he sunk into the ice ; he had it filled 
with hay, and surrounded with rushes. As he weighs 
twenty-eight stone, he must have looked funny in his 
tub. In front of him he placed a stuffed swan, and 
there he sat, and shot the live ones which came to look 
at it. He remained there all day, got frightfully chilled, 
and was ill for fifty days with rheumatic fever— the first 
ailment he ever had. 

The wind began to rise in the evening, and at night 

the noise in our tent was dreadful ; the wind whistled in 

at the hole in the top, and the chimney flapped about. 

Then an enormous dog crept in, and alarmed me. I 

heard a rustling, and, looking up, sav/ a black creature, 

which I took for a man ; I spoke, and the creature 

rushed out of the tent in such a rapid manner that I 

knew it must be a dog. I told D., who declared I was 
26 



392 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xix 

dreaming; but in a short time again I saw this great 
animal, and again frightened him with my voice (Indian 
dogs are very shy, but savage if you don't succeed in 
frightening them) ; then I got up and barricaded the 
door of my tent. 

Next morning a howling was heard; so D. at last 
believed I was awake, and got up too, and assisted in 
making the flapping oilcloth door a little more service- 
able. We had everything we possessed piled upon the 
end cf it to keep it down. The noise in the tent was 
louder than that in a gale of wind at sea, and there 
was so much draught we had to wrap up our heads as 
if we were out of doors. 

Friday, 2ist. — Mr. McKay has a terrible headache, 
and there is too much wind for the canoes, so the shoot- 
ifig is put a stop to, which is annoying. Fred and Cap- 
tain Smith have walked out to see if they can get any- 
thing in the marsh close by. 

The wind fell, Mr. McKay lost his headache, and the 
gentlemen went off for the afternoon's "hunting," as 
shooting is called here. They did not bring back a 
great deal — the birds were so wild ; twenty-six the total 
bag. A number of the birds they shot were lost in the 
rushes. 

Satui^day\ 22d. — We left our encampment this morn- 
ing, and after luncheon Mr. McKay, D., and Captain 
Smith went out shooting again, Fred and Captain 
Smith tossed up, and Fred lost the place in the canoe. 
We drove on to the camping-place, which is rather an 
uninteresting spot. There is not even a shrub near it, 
and we are in long grass, on a small piece of highish 
ground surrounded by swamp. We can hear the sports- 
men's shots, and see an immense number of ducks es- 
caping, and flying over us. Fred has gone on foot to 
see what he can get. 



I 



SEPT. 1 8 77 PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE. 3^3 

They came back, having greatly enjoyed their sport. 
D. got nineteen birds, and Fred shot seven duck, four 
of which he brought home. 

Sunday^ 2jd. — We had intended to make a very short 
journey to-day, but the shooting yesterday kept us back 
a little. We lunched close to the house of a German 
surveyor, who brought us some excellent bread-and- 
butter, and we visited his wife and daughters. He has 
established himself upon 1,000 acres of good land. We 
camped about four o'clock, and soon had the pleasure 
of seeing Colonel Littleton riding towards us. Mrs. 
Littleton has gone home, but the child is better. Our 
letters also arrived, and were very welcome. 

Monday, 24th. — Started about half-past eight, and 
drove along a good road and through five farms to 
Portage La Prairie. There were arches and an address, 
bands of painted Indians, and a long procession of "bug- 
gies." We drove to one farm to inspect it, and as we 
did not see much chance of any lunch, we asked the 
old lady for some, and soon filled her house, ate up 
her bread, tasted her home-made cheese, and drank 
her rich milk. Her husband and son seemed to take 
great interest and pride in their farm, and if they had 
a market they would be very well off ; the market and 
the railway will come in time. They have magnificent 
crops. 

Food and presents were given to the Indians, and we 
drove back to our camp, which is on the way to Winni- 
peg, and on the way home ! 

Indians came and inspected us, and one very tall 
man, looking grand in his blanket and red leggings, em- 
broidered with beads, sold us first his garters, and then 
the stripes off his trousers; while an old friend of his, 
with a green wreath on his head, and wrapped in a toga 
(blanket, Nero fashion), nudged him, and egged him on 



394 



MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. i. xix 



to add dollars to his original prices. The man had a 
beautiful pipe, which he would not sell. 

Tuesday, 2^th. — Before starting this morning we re- 
ceived an address, and were introduced to a quantity of 
people at High Bluffs ; but we were on our way again by 
half-past nine. We drove till lunch-time along a good 
road, and through a beautiful farming-country. By the 
way, a farmer told me yesterday that they built no barns 
here, because it would be impossible to have them large 
enough to hold their grain ! There is a great deal of 
natural wood, the country is flat, and the soil very rich ; 
the only " ifs " the agriculturists have here are, " if " the 
" hoppers " don't return, and " if " the railway does come, 
— then they will be millionaires. 

We camped at Houses to-night, and I think the only 
interesting feature of the place was the water. Just as 
Nelly was about to drink off a tumblerful, she saw that 
it was full of large and lively animals. Colonel Littleton, 
who had not looked into his before he drank it, felt very 
uncomfortable. I think that, throughout our whole 
journey, water has been our greatest difficulty ; though 
we have always had "water, water everywhere," there 
was generally "not a drop to drink," unless your filter 
was at hand. The settlers seem to get accustomed to 
it; but it would have made us very ill, I am sure. 

Wednesday, 26th. — At twelve o'clock to-day we reached 
Silver Heights, and our journey is virtually over. We 
have all enjoyed it very much, and are well and much 
sunburnt after six weeks of almost constant open air. 
Our good luck in weather has been extraordinary ; there 
was only one single night that we were driven from our 
camp-fire by rain. The bad weather always seemed to 
come the days that we had a roof to shelter us, and this 
morning's drive was cold enough to make us glad that 
our camping out is over. Our leather lodge was very 



SEPT. 1877 WINNIPEG. 395 

comfortable, though a little smoky ; but a stove in the 
hall and an open firejn the. drawing-room of Silver Heights 
are not unwelcome luxuries. 

The evening was frightfully wet — such pouring rain, 
as if to make us thoroughly appreciate our house. 

Mr. Mills and Mr. Pelletier (two of the Ministers who 
have been traveling here) came to see us, and were un- 
able to look upon my extreme sunburntedness without 
remarking upon it. 

Thursday^ 2'jth. — Most of us went into town to pay 
bills and arrange various matters connected with our 
departure. I called upon the Morrises. 

There are such swarms of beautiful birds about the 
fields and roads. In the distance they all look the same, 
like small crows ; but near, there is great variety. 
There are orange breasts, and crimson breasts, red- 
brown heads, two or three colored feathers in a wing, 
and all the rest of every bird black. They must do a 
great deal of harm to the grain, one would think. 

Friday^ 28th. — D. and the other gentlemen went out 
shooting, and had a very successful afternoon. The 
bag was seventeen plover, four prairie-chickens, one 
snipe, one duck, one goose (shot by Fred), one musk- 
rat, and one skunk ! There is variety for you ! 

Mr. McKay and Mr. Donald Smith dined with us. 
The former gave Nellie and me two buffalo-robes, and 
he has presented D. with the most magnificent horns I 
ever saw. 

Saturday^ 2pth. — Last day at Winnipeg. We said 
good-by to Silver Heights soon after breakfast, and drove 
through Fort Garry and across the Red River to a place 
where D. and I each drove in a spike in the Canada 
Pacific Railway, the first line in this part of the world. 
The chief engineer had gone to try and get the locomo- 
tive there in time for us to start it, but unfortunately it 



396 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xix 

could not be managed. Mr. Whitehead (the engineer) 
was a stoker on the first line of railway opened in Eng- 
land, and now he is about to open the first line in the 
Northwest. 

When this ceremony was over we visited the Roman 
Catholic Schools on this side of the water, and there 
were addresses both from the boys and girls. We 
crossed the river again, and drove to the City Hall, 
where a dejeuner was given to the Governor - Gen- 
eral. 

His speech at it was very good, and the company 
present were very much pleased with it. He spoke for 
about three quarters of an hour, and people seemed to 
listen with all their ears, and laughed a great deal at the 
amusing parts. He tried to give some idea of the great 
size of the Dominion, and, speaking of this Province, 
said : 

" From its geographical position, and its peculiar 
characteristics, Manitoba may be regarded as the key- 
stone of that mighty arch of sister provinces which 
spans the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It 
was here that Canada, emerging from her woods and 
forests, first gazed upon the rolling prairies and unex- 
plored Northwest, and learned, as by an unexpected 
revelation, that her historical territories of the Canadas, 
her eastern seaboards of New Brunswick, Labrador, and 
Nova Scotia, her Laurentian lakes and valleys, corn 
lands and pastures, though themselves more exten- 
sive than half a dozen European kingdoms, were but 
the vestibules and ante-chambers to that till then un- 
dreamed-of dominion, whose illimitable dimensions alike 
confound the arithmetic of the surveyor and the verifica- 
tion of the explorer. It was hence that, counting her 
past achievements as but the preface and prelude to her 
future exertions and expanding destinies, she took a 



SEPT. 1877 UP THE RED RIVER, 39^7 

fresh departure, received the afflatus of a more imperial 
inspiration, and felt herself no longer a mere settler 
along the banks of a single river, but the owner of half 
a continent; and in the amplitude of her possession, in 
the wealth of her resources, in the sinews of her material 
might, the peer of any power on the earth." 

D. had two addresses after lunch, and about four 
o'clock we got to the hotel, and received people till five, 
saying " good-by " to all who came. Then we went 
over to the Morrises', and had a cup of tea ; after which 
we got on board the Minnesota^ and started on our re- 
turn journey amidst much firing and shouting and wav- 
ing of adieus. 

One dear old member of Parliament (who came as 
Falstaff to our fancy ball) was quite overcome by the 
grief of parting with us, and almost fell into the water 
because he would continue his parting speeches until 
the gangway was partially removed. 

We were very sorry to say farewell to Mr. Mc- 
Kay, whose substantial figure, in his well-known bug- 
gy, was one of the last things we saw as we steamed 
away. 

We felt very tired in the evening, for this had been a 
hard day. 

Sunday, 30th. — l^h.^ Minnesota' s screw shakes so much 
that I find great difficulty in writing at all; but as we 
travel straight through to Ottawa, I think it better to 
defy it, rather than wait till I arrive there. 

There is a cinnamon bear on board ; a tame pig, 
which answers to the name of Dick, and a dog. The 
bear sometimes hugs the pig, and the dog rushes to the 
rescue. Some one tied a bun to the pig's tail to-day, 
which the bear perceived, and seized ; but while he was 
leisurely arranging himself to enjoy it, the pig seized it, 
and ate it up. 



398 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xik 

Monday, October ist. — Steaming up the monotonous 
Red River, we reached Grand Forks at two o'clock, and 
arrived at Fisher's Landing in the night. 

Tuesday, 2d. — We went ashore, and saw the engine 
No. 2 of the Canada Pacific Railway ; it is going to Win- 
nipeg with a train of railway-trucks, and it is to be called 
the '' Lady Dufferin." 

We started at three o'clock, and slept in the train. 

Wednesday, jd. — We reached St. Paul, and had time 
to go and dine at the hotel, which made a very nice break 
in the journey. The Milwaukee Railway Company gave 
us an additional car here, and sent us off on their line, 
free of expense, to Chicago. We came this way in order 
to see the banks of the Mississippi, but unfortunately 
we had left the river when we got up in the morning. 

Thursday, 4th. — We arrived at Chicago in the after- 
noon, went to see an exhibition going on there, dined at 
the Palmer House, and left at nine in the evening. 

Friday, 5th. — We crossed the St. Clair at Detroit, and 
arrived that evening at Toronto ; the Macdonalds and a 
number of other people met us there, and sat with us 
while we had our tea. 

Saturday, 6th. — During the night we reached Kings- 
ton, and slept quietly in our car till the morning, when, 
directly after breakfast, we were met by Colonel and 
Mrs. Hewitt, Sir E. Selby Smyth, and a guard of honor, 
and went off at once to inspect the new Military College. 

It is beautifully situated, and is a very flourishing 
young institution, and D. saw all the drill, etc. He then 
visited the Fort, but I went straight to the Hewitts' 
house, as the wind was bitter, and I had caught a little 
cold on my journey. 

The Hewitts gave us a lunch, and sent us off at two 
o'clock on our way to Ottawa, where we found the chil- 
dren well and in great spirits. 



CHAPTER XX. 

OUR LAST SEASON AT OTTAWA AND MONTREAL. 

Ottawa : Sunday^ November 4th. — There was a bad 
shock of earthquake in the night. I am sorry to say it 
did not awaken me; but several people in the house got 
up to see what was the matter, and there are accounts 
of it in all the newspapers. 

Monday^ December 24th. — We went into town, and did 
a quantity of Christmas shopping, and on our return 
found that Fred Ward, John Petty Ward, and Price Black- 
wood had arrived. I was also very busy most of the day 
getting the Christmas-tree ready ; it is always a long 
business. I have it in the middle of the ball-room, with a 
little red-baize platform round it, and then a green carpet, 
forming a square, on the floor round that ; on the platform 
and carpet all the heavy things are put, and the display 
this year is gorgeous. 

Christmas Day, 1^77. — We had such a " Merry " Christ- 
mas. I must tell you about it. 

In the morning we finished the tree, and then we went 
to church. The children were very anxious to kill time, 
so after lunch we skated on the river till past four o'clock. 
Then we had tea, and at half-past five I gave the order 
to light up. Mr. Dixon, the governesses, all the Little- 
tons, and our guests were present. The display of pres- 
ents was grand. Victoria was hoarse with screaming 
over hers, and every one was pleased. Archie (who is at 



400 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xx 

home from Eton for the holidays) was delighted, and in 
a great state of excitement all day. We were twenty- 
one at dinner, and had some delightful music in the 
evening. 

New Years Day, iSyS. — At five I began to dress my 
chicks for their play ; but before that I went down to 
the servants' hall, where all the children of the place 
were having their tea; the servants had decorated it 
beautifully. 

Then I proceeded to the putting of finishing touches 
to the actors. The piece, " Fifine, the Fisher Maid," 
went off admirably, and every one was delighted. The 
General and his son, Mr. Dixon and Mr. Higginson dined 
with us afterwards. 

Wednesday, January 2d. — Skating on our Rink for 
the first time this winter. 

Thursday, jd. — We went into Ottawa, and skated on 
the Rink there. Some gentlemen had gallantly provided 
a band, and we danced the lancers and other figures, and 
enjoyed it much. We are still driving on wheels ; but 
the Ottawa is at last frozen over. 

This is the day of the children's party. I had tea for 
grown-up people in the recess off the corridor, and for 
the children in the dining-room. The guests were all 
quite delighted with the play, and as it lasted from five 
till seven, were hungry enough to enjoy their tea. After- 
wards they had a great romp in the ball-room. 

Monday, yth. — In the morning we went and skated in 
town, and although it was extremely cold, we danced 
our lancers and other figures, and enjoyed ourselves 
very much. At lunch the gentlemen were full of tobog- 
ganing, although the slide was not quite ready. There 
was a good deal of fun and chaff about it, and they soon 
went out, and at once decided to go down four on one 
toboggan. There was so much loose snow that the per- 



FEB. 1878 OTTAWA. 401 

son steering the toboggan was blinded, and they came 
against a tree, and J. P. Ward was seriously hurt. Fred 
rushed up to the house for brandy and assistance, and in 
a short time they carried him up. The doctor got here 
in half an hour, and found his leg broken and his side 
much bruised. He suffered greatly. It is so unfortu- 
nate ; he was enjoying everythmg so much, and now his 
whole winter is spoilt. 

Of the other three. Price was stunned and bruised, 
Fred knocked and bruised, and Fred Ward the least 
hurt, 

Monday, 28th. — Archie and Terence left us on their 
way to school in England. Mr. Higginson went with 
them to New York. We all miss them so much, and 
spent a miserable day. In the evening we got letters 
from them written in the train. 

Thm-sday, 31st. — Katie and I went into town and had 
a delightful skate. Mr. Haycock had had a pole put up 
in the Rink, from which depended a number of ribbons. 
The dancers stood round it, and each one held a ribbon 
in her hand; then we went round and round to music, 
as in the last figure of the lancers, the ribbons being 
lifted over and under, so that gradually they got plaited 
round the pole. Then we stopped, turned round, and 
going in the opposite direction unplaited them again. 

A great number of skaters had collected, and we had 
a very amusing morning-party. 

Fj'iday, February 8th. — The day of the opening of 
Parliament. It was very fine weather, but we had to go 
in carriages, not in sleighs. The Senate Chamber was 
full, and looked very handsome : the ladies well got-up, 
the judges very splendid, etc. Having dressed in our 
finery so early, we were somewhat tired on our return, 
but after tea we had to dress again for dinner and the 
Drawing-room. A thousand people passed — a steady 



402 " ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xx 

Stream for an hour and a quarter — so many courtesies 
were exhausting. 

Monday^ nth. — We left Ottawa, a great party, to stay 
at Montreal as guests of the City. The only two left 
behind were Cis,* who is ill, and Mr. J. P. Ward, who was 
to get up for the first time to-day. Mr. Bierstadt and 
Mr. Hayes go with us. The latter is the son of the 
President of the United States. 

We reached Montreal at six, and met with a splendid 
reception. The place was crowded, and there was much 
cheering, a lovely bouquet for me, an address to D., and 
a drive through the crowd with four horses to the Wind- 
sor Hotel, the bells of the town ringing out a welcome. 

We are by way of opening this new hotel — the Wind- 
sor. It is a very fine one, and the Reception Committee 
were awaiting us in the gorgeous drawing-rooms; in 
reply to their words of introduction, D. told them that 
the humble rooms at Government House would not be 
able to contain him on his return. 

Our dinner was very good, but a long time being al- 
lowed for digestion between each course, we retired be- 
fore the pudding, and found Gwen waiting to take the 
gentlemen on to a ball. 

Tuesday, I2th. — D., I, and a certain proportion of our 
party, lunched with Mr. McKay, a dear old gentleman 
who has spent his hard-earned wealth in building a great 
deaf-and-dumb institution, which he to-day presents to 
the City through the Governor-General. 

After lunch we drove to the Institution, our sleigh 
being escorted by a troop of cavalry. The building was 
ornamented with flags, and was full of people. There 
were prayers first, then addresses, and an inspection of 
the rooms. 



My sister-in-law (Mrs. Rowan Hamilton). 



FEB. 1878 MONTREAL. 403 

Afterwards we went to the Villa Maria Convent, 
where a very striking scene was presented to us. Turn- 
ing in from the cold and the daylight (it was a snow- 
stormy day), we found ourselves in a brilliantly-lighted 
room, full of young ladies, saw a gorgeous display of 
flowers, and heard sounds of music — " God save the 
Queen " played upon harps and pianos, and sung by nu- 
merous voices. All the girls wore black dresses for the 
Pope's death (Pius IX), but they had white lace bibs and 
cuffs, broad sashes of colored ribbon over the shoulder, 
and in their hands long sprays of artificial flowers. The 
hall is a very large one, and all along the walls were 
rows of girls; at the end of the room a rising bank of 
the pupils, and in the center three platforms : on one the 
pianos, on the second five harps, and on the third, D. 
and I. 

We had a good deal of music and six addresses — 
two in French and two in English, and two from little 
girls, who presented bouquets. 

When we got home we had to dress for dinner and 
a ball. The latter was given for us in a very fine dining- 
room in this hotel. There were 2,000 people at it, and 
it was in every way a success. We entered the room in 
a procession, and D. danced everything, while I " did " 
a few squares, and was introduced to numbers of ladies. 
Everything went merrily till 4.30 a. m., when we retired 
to bed. Katie* enjoyed this, her first ball, very much, 
and danced everything. 

Wednesday^ ijth. — We went to M'Gill College, and at 
the gates the students met us and dragged us up to the 
door. Happily, no one was hurt, though these volun- 
teer horses were constantly falling, being dragged by 
the rope, and half driven over. 

* My sister (Lady Nicolson). 



404 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL CH. XX 

I was taken up to the Hall, where I waited the arrival 
of the new LL. D., for D. was down in the library being 
clothed in cap and gown. The students soon filled the 
hall completely, so that it was impossible for His Ex. to 
get through it, and he had to be brought by a back stair, 
and appeared through a trap-door on the platform, where 
the learned sat. 

The address^nd reply were in Greek, and I was 
listening in a vacant manner, when I saw the Greek 
scholars smiling at me, and I found that the word 
Countess had been introduced into the harangue. I 
came in for a share of glory also when the students pre- 
sented me with a very handsome silver bouquet-holder, 
made on purpose for me, with Canadian and English 
symbols, the arms of the College, and an inscription 
engraved upon it. After a speech from the president, 
the new graduate signed the register, was handed his 
diploma, and was called upon for an address. 

I suppose a learned and serious speech was expected ; 
but D. surprised his audience by a few light and airy 
sentences, and I don't think I ever heard him speak 
more effectively. He had not thought of anything par- 
ticular to say, and did not wish to enter into a serious 
speech about nothing; and, as it turned out, his im- 
promptu jokes were much better. I had one or two 
people to tea on my return, and after dinner we went to 
the theatre. 

The house was crammed, and presented a most brill- 
iant spectacle. The piece was, in its way, unique, for 
it was made the -excuse for a grand military display. 
There were at least one hundred and sixty artillerymen 
and officers, and a number of soldiers in red, exhibited 
on the stage as about to embark for India. The steamer 
with its funnel was in the background, the bands played, 
the regiments marched on board ; five horses at a time 



FEB. 1878 MONTREAL, 405 

came on, one ridden, the others dragging the gun-car- 
riage. All was done in regular military fashion, and it 
made a splendid scene. This was got up for us by the 
Volunteers, and it was most successful. We did not 
leave the theatre till midnight, and then were dragged 
by the snow-shoers of Montreal to the hotel. Our two- 
legged steeds wore a very picturesque costume, and were 
very lively horses and most cheery companions. "To 
bed, to bed, said Sleepy Head." 

Thursday^ 14th. — We had to leave early to drive a 
long way out to the Sacred Heart Convent. It is one 
of the most exclusive of the nunneries. When we got 
there we were received by the ladies, many of them very 
charming women. The Lady Superior is an Italian, and 
very clever and pleasant. They gave us a cup of hot 
coffee, and then took us into the room where the chil- 
dren were assembled. It is a long, narrow room, the 
walls covered with white and gold. At the far end of 
the room was a stage with rustic arbors on it and quan- 
tities of flowers, and on it was performed an original 
musical operetta, in which all the flowers took part, and 
which ended in the " Rose " carrying a magnificent 
basket of flowers to his Ex., each of her attendants 
holding a ribbon attached to it. 

When this was all over we were shown the house, 
and the fine chapel where the girls, with white veils 
thrown over their heads, marched two and two up the 
aisle, stopping for a second at the altar, and then on to 
their places, where they knelt, filling all the center part 
of the church, the colors of the painted windows lighting 
up their white figures, and coloring them with a rainbow 
light, which looked very beautiful. The organ played, 
and there was some very good singing, the last thing 
being a sort of grace, for after leaving the chapel we 
went straight to lunch. There was a large party, and 



4o6 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xx 

the nuns did the honors. They helped to wait upon us, 
and at the same time talked to us so pleasantly. 

Driving home, we went up the mountain — that is to 
say, through Mount Royal Park. It is only just made. 
The road winds up to a great height, and the views from 
it are lovely. It will be a very beautiful drive to have 
so near a city. 

This evening there was the banquet, and I am sure 
no Governor of any kind ever received a more magnifi- 
cent ovation than this at the end of his term of office. 
The dinner was in the great ball-room. There was one 
long table down the side of the room, and ten others 
across, holding in all three hundred and fifty people. 
The first thing of which I can tell you from personal 
experience was my own entrance. I went in with my 
sisters and a few other ladies to hear the speeches. 
When I came in, every one stood up, most of them on 
their chairs, and cheered me for so long that, after ac- 
knowledging their greeting repeatedly, I sat down be- 
fore silence was restored. Sir Francis Hincks was the 
chairman, and of course the Queen's health came first, 
and was enthusiastically received. As a special compli- 
ment, D. next proposed the health of the President of 
the United States (Mr. Hayes), his son being present. 

The toast of the evening was the signal for most 
tremendous cheering — the gentlemen stood on their 
chairs, and waved handkerchiefs ; and when D. spoke, 
almost every sentence was followed by the greatest ap- 
plause, and all the amusing part by roars of laughter. 
Nothing could have gone off better or more brilliantly 
than this banquet did, and I wish I had time to give 
you a better account of it. 

Friday, i^th. — We had to be at the Curling Rink at 
10.30 to play a great match — the Viceregal Club against 
the Three Rivers — for the Caledonian medal. The game 



FEB. 1878 OTTAWA. 407 

was an exceedingly close one, but alas ! we lost by one 
point. The Rink was beautifully decorated, even the 
ice being covered with designs; and our side played very 
well, though it was beaten. 

I skated for an hour, and hurried home to lunch, 
and to dress for a reception we had at three. That 
over, I had the Chief Justice to tea, and then got ready 
for a dinner. In the evening we opened an exhibition 
of pictures of the Art Association of Montreal, and D. 
announced that Mr. Bierstadt was going to present the 
Society with a picture. The hall of the hotel, in which 
the exhibition was held, is an immense place with a 
marble floor, and looked very splendid, filled as it was 
with gayly-dressed company. Some of the principal 
people came to our room afterwards. 

Saturday, i6th. — Our week of ovation is over, and 
this morning we started for home. Gwen and her dear 
little baby came to breakfast, and at ten we were off, 
first of all to visit an india-rubber manufactory and a 
cotton manufactory, and then to the station, where there 
was an address. 

On the way to Ottawa, by a new line of railway, D. 
had at least one address at every station, sometimes 
three — and I generally got a lovely bouquet. We were 
very kindly, and indeed affectionately, received every- 
where, and the whole country seemed to turn out to 
greet us. A number of gentlemen came part of the way 
home with us. Lady Sykes and her brother are staying 
here. 

I thought it best to finish the happy part of my 
Journal first ; but there has been a drawback to my 
pleasure in the week. While D. was dining on Friday, 
and just before I went in to hear the speeches, I received 
a telegram to say that Basil had scarlet fever. He is 
going on extremely well, but of course I shall be very 
27 



4o8 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xx 

anxious until I know whether this horrid disease spreads. 
The other children are separated, but they were with 
him when he first fell ill. His room is in the center of 
the house, and the isolation is not as perfect as I could 
wish. Here we are, with Cis in bed, Mr. Ward laid up 
with a broken leg, sea :let fever in the house, and visitors 
on the top of all this who " are not in the least afraid." 
Katie remained at Montreal with Gwen . 

But for these domestic misfortunes our week at 
Montreal would have been an unqualified pleasure. We 
found everywhere so much personal affection and kind- 
ness, and were in every way so magnificently received, 
that nothing could have been more delightful than it 
was. 

Monday^ March 4th, — Mr. Harvey * dined with us, and 
we had music in the evening. Russell and he played the 
violin, and Mr. J. P. Ward sang the " Lost Chord " to us. 
He has a most beautiful tenor voice. He has only just 
recovered from the tobogganing accident. 

Sunday, loth. — Mr. Ward fell ill to-day, but we were 
not at all alarmed about him till the evening, when the 
doctor told us his illness was most serious, and that there 
was no hope. He was told so, too, and immediately 
settled all his affairs and wTote a letter. I went to 
see him in the evening. He was perfectly calm and 
happy. 

Tuesday, 12th. — Mr. Ward passed away this afternoon, 
having lingered all Monday, exhibiting always the most 
wonderful patience, resignation, and thoughtfulness for 
others. I was with him when he died ; Fred Ward sel- 
dom left him. The anxiety was terrible, for on Monday 
afternoon we wxre given a ray of hope, soon to be de- 
stroyed again. 

* Of Ickwellbury. 



APRIL 1878 OTTAWA. 409 

Thursday, 14th. — He was buried early in the morning ; 
none went to the funeral but those who knew him, and 
had been with him here. He was a very great favorite 
with us all, and this has been a great sorrow to us. 

Tuesday, April 2d. — We put off our farewell gayeties 
as long as we could, but to-day we resume our social 
duties. I spent the day nursing my voice, driving out, 
and looking over my parts ; at six we dined, and our 
plays began at a quarter to eight. 

" Sweethearts " came first, then " New Men and Old 
Acres " ; and at the end an epilogue — a farewell D. had 
written for me to speak. No one knew anything about 
it, not even my fellow-actors, so that it was a great sur- 
prise. The worst of it was, that it made the audience so 
melancholy that the evening ended tearfully. 

Thursday, 4th. — Gwen, Russell, the Baby, and Miss 
Abbott arrived. Muriel is very pretty, and a dear little 
thing in every way. 

Friday, ^th. — Our last play here. We had an enor- 
mous audience, and both " Sweethearts " and " New 
Men " and the epilogue were greatly appreciated. They 
certainly went off well, and every one was delighted ; but 
all were sad to think that we were having our last party 
here, and I know I feel miserable about it. 

Monday, 8th. — Fred Ward left for England — a signal 
of our approaching departure, for we shall have left this 
when he returns to Canada. I hate these symptoms of 
our waning existence here, I have enjoyed it all so much. 
His departure makes also the first break in what has been 
a very happy family party. 

Saturday, 13th. — In the morning w^e drove into Ot- 
tawa to see an enormous map of Canada, prepared for 
the Paris Exhibition. We also looked at models of the 
Welland Canal. 

Hearing that the. House had been sitting all night, 



^ I O MY CA NA DIA N JO URN A L, CH. xx 

and was likely to sit all day, we determined to come in 
again in the afternoon to hear what was going on. 

The Opposition were talking against time, to pre- 
vent a division being taken about some Quebec affairs 
(the Governor having dismissed his Ministers) until Mon- 
day, as the political meetings among the French are 
generally after Mass on Sunday, and they did not wish 
to have the defeat of their motion announced to the 
congregations. 

Last night there were singing and cock-crowing and 
all sorts of noises, and when Mr. Plumb was speaking 
another member got up and said he was interrupting the 
music. When we went — Gwen and I, Mrs. Littleton, 
and the Colonel — a Member was speaking, merely to fill 
up the time. He read out of a book, and gave us the 
title in full several times, and said it belonged to " his 
hon. friend the Member for Niagara " ; and then, when 
noise was made, he said he feared hon. members had not 
heard, and so he would repeat what he had been saying 
or reading. Singing began — " Auld Lang Syne," " En 
roulant ma boule " — cock-crowing, and all sorts of noises 
and fun, while the entertainment — as far as I heard it — 
ended with the Marsellaise, beautifully sung by a musical 
M. P. When I got up to go, what do you think hap- 
pened ? — the whole House, both sides, stood up and sang 
" God save the Queen," and then cheered. Of course I 
got out as quickly as I could. We were told afterwards 
that we had been as "sugar" to the House; that they 
were just getting very cross when we came in, and that 
our presence put them in a good humor — very good 
humor, as you may perceive. They were expecting to 
sit all night, but at six Mr. Mackenzie consented to ad- 
journ, on condition that the division should be taken 
early on Monday. 

We had a Parliamentary dinner that night, so when 



APRIL 1878 FAREWELL ADDRESSES. 411 

I was in the House I instituted inquiries as to who would 
be able to come. On my return a telegram followed 
me, " Thirty will not be able to dine " ; so I had the 
dinner moved into the small dining-room, and cut down 
from forty to sixteen. Soon after another message came 
to say the House had adjourned, which was agitating; 
but only thirteen guests arrived, so our table was all 
right. We had a pleasant little dinner — Mr. Macpher- 
son, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Bunston, Mr. Odell, and the old 
Mr. Glasier, who went away from our theatricals " be- 
cause he did not come all the way down here to see a 
lot of love-making." Mr. Ryan and the Deputy Sergeant- 
at-Arms, Major Smith, were also there. 

Tuesday^ i6th. — D. received the address presented to 
him by both Houses of Parliament. We — Gwen, Nellie, 
and I — went to the Senate Chamber, where our seats 
were just in front of the Throne, Ministers' wives, etc., 
behind. I found it a very melancholy ceremony, and it 
gave me a nervous headache. 

Monday^ 2 2d. — We began our last fortnight of gay- 
eties. Gwen and Russell * are already here, and Miss 
Abbott and Miss Scott arrived to take part in two con- 
certs. Miss Abbott has stayed with us before, and is 
very nice, and a great musician. Miss Scott is very 
pretty and nice, and sings and plays well. They both 
live in Montreal. 

We also began to say "farewell." D. and I went 
into town, and in the Supreme Court spent an hour and 
a half, saying good-by to the members and senators. 
Mr. Kimber and Mr. Fleming dined with us, and we had 
music in the evening. 

Wednesday^ 24th. — We had our last " Good-by " at the 
Supreme Court ; and in the evening we had our last big 

* Mr. and Mrs. Russell Stephenson. 



^12 MY CANADIAN JO URNAL. ch. xx 

dinner. The table formed three sides of a square, and 
we had over seventy people. After the ladies left the 
room a senator (Mr. Vidal) got up and proposed my 
health ; he sent round to ask D. if he might, and he did 
not like to refuse. We had singing after dinner, and 
Fred told us, when he saw the party off, they were de- 
lighted with their evening. They said they had left a 
man in the House to talk against time, and had prom- 
ised to be back at nine; but they did not leave till 
10.30. 

Friday, 26th. — In the evening we went to see Char- 
lotte Thompson in " Jane Eyre." She is not a handsome 
woman, but so good an actress that she makes you quite 
forget her face. Her voice is very pretty. 

Saturday, 2'jth. — Our concert took place this after- 
noon, and was most successful. The music was really 
lovely, and people seemed delighted. In the evening 
we went to see Miss Multon (" East Lynne "). 

Tuesday, jotk. — I have organized a bazaar in our ten- 
nis-court to pay off the debt on our little church, and we 
began to arrange it. The carpenters put up the shields 
on the walls of the tennis-court and set the tables. We 
carried down all the things, and some ladies from New 
Edinburgh came to help, so that when we locked up for 
the evening everything was ready, and extremely pretty 
it all looked. 

Wednesday, May ist — Will the weather be fine ? That 
is what we are anxious about ; it pours all the morning. 
D, is arranging a Picture-Gallery in the ball-room, to 
which the public will be admitted upon payment of 25 
cents. Every painting, water-color, engraving or photo- 
graph which we possess, whether in a book, a portfolio, 
or a frame, is exhibited here, and in addition we have 
borrowed two very fine paintings oi Mr. .Gilmour's... . An 
orange ticket, 25 cents, admits the juveniles of Ottawa, 



MAY 1878 FANCY BAZAAR. 413 

and many •of the old people too, to the mysteries of 
" Punch and Judy," which Mr. Dixon and Mr. Brodie 
perform most admirably. 

We were putting finishing touches to ourselves and 
to the tables till the last moment, and happily the rain 
cleared off, and the afternoon was lovely. In the garden 
we had the Guards' band, and a large tin full of small 
parcels tied up with string. Near this stood two lovely 
ladies (Miss Griffin and Miss Scott), with fishing-rods in 
their hands ; for ten cents you were allowed to try your 
luck — that is, to take the rod and fish for a parcel, and 
this became so popular an amusement, both for old and 
young, that it went on all three afternoons, and made 
much money. 

Miss Mary Macdonald sold flowers, and various young 
ladies had raffle-papers to fill up. Miss Macdonald and 
Nellie had the principal stall, and I was kept busy at my 
table answering questions, seeing to raffles, etc. There 
was so brilliant an account of the first performance of 
*^ Punch and Judy," that I went to see the second ; but I 
had not been long in the room when I heard some one 
say, " There is a fire ! " And we did have a marvelous 
escape. 

A smell of gas, a lighted candle — and flames appeared 
through the floor! Mothers shrieked; but in a few sec- 
onds the hose put out the flames, and no damage oc- 
curred, except to the unfortunate author of the disaster, 
the man with the candle, who burned his hand. In the 
confusion a lady threw her arms round Fred, and said : 
" Oh my children ! my children ! my husband is in the 
Public Works Department ; what shall I do ? " etc., etc. 

The buying and selling, the music, the raffles, the tea, 
the fishpond, all go on merrily. 

Friday, 3d. — The weather was bad yesterday, and we 
had to keep indoors, which was a great loss to our pockets. 



414 ^^'^ CAN A DIAN JO URNAL. CH. xx 

Both Wednesday and yesterday I enjoyed^very much, 
though I don't think I ever was so busy in my life, for I 
found it impossible, from morning till night, to take my 
attention off bazaar business for one moment. The third 
day was harder work, and not so amusing. We had to 
raffle all the things, and fewer people came, and it was 
wet ; but at the end we had an auction for about an 
hour, which amused people much. 

The thing was a great success. Everybody enjoyed 
it, and instead of my modest anticipations of making $600, 
I think we shall clear more than $2,000. Every one said 
they had never been to so honest or so pleasant a bazaar, 
and they proved their sincerity by coming every day 
while it was open. 

I am going to pay off the debt on our church (for 
which I got up the bazaar), and shall give the surplus, 
and the things left, to the Protestant Orphan Asylum in 
Ottawa, which is very badly off. 

Thursday, pth. — Parliament was prorogued to-day. 

Friday, lyth. — This morning we had an exhibition of 
the phonograph. Two men brought this wonderful in- 
vention for us to see. It is quite a small thing, a cylin- 
der which you turn with a handle, and which you place 
on a common table. 

We were so amazed when we first heard this bit of 
iron speak that it was hard to believe there was no 
trick ! But we all tried it. Fred sang " Old Obadiah," 
D. made it talk Greek, the Colonel sang a French song, 
and all our vocal efforts were repeated. As long as the 
same piece of tinfoil is kept on the instrument you can 
hear all you have said over and over again ; and the m- 
ventor will soon have completed a flat instrument, in 
which you will be able to put in old sayings of yours, or 
of others, and hear them again. You may imagine how 
susceptible the needle is when I tell you that the first 



MAY 1878 THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 415 

time that D. spoke into the machine he spoke too loud, 
and tore the tinfoil. The last performance was for 
D. to say something which should be repeated by the 
machine to a public exhibition in Ottawa in the evening. 
When D. had finished, it was repeated to us (by the 
machine), and was, we hope, again delivered with good 
effect in the evening. 

We are scattering for a few days. Nelly goes to 
Niagara with the Littletons. To-morrow morning D. 
goes to Toronto for an exhibition of pictures, and I to 
spend a week with Gwen at Montreal. Then we all 
meet at Montreal for a Review on the Queen's Birthday. 

The house is full of packing-cases, and everything 
bare and miserable-looking, and I am very glad of a 
rest and a holiday. 

Montreal: Monday^ 20th. — In the afternoon Gwen 
and I walked to the General Hospital, where the Grey 
Nuns have old people, orphans, and foundlings. We 
went over the whole institution, which took us fully two 
hours, and were very graciously received by the Sisters. 
They admitted us to the cloistered parts, and we saw 
their foundress Tying in state. Her body is covered 
with wax, and the sight is not at all ghastly — if you 
could think it was only a wax figure. The superior 
gave me a very handsome book, a biography of the 
foundress. 

The Hospital will be enormous when the building is 
finished ; it now holds over 700 inmates. 

Thursday^ 23d. — D., Fred, Colonel Littleton, and Dr. 
Grant reached Montreal this evening, and came up to 
tea at Gwen's house. 

Friday, 24th, — The Queen's Birthday ; a most suc- 
cessful day. The weather was exactly suited to the 
occasion : not too hot, not dusty, not wet, but bright 
and sunshiny. The Review began at 11.30, and Gwen, 



4i6 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xx 

Russell, and I drove up to the Grand Stand at that time. 
The roads were full of carriages and people walking, 
and the effect was quite Derby-like. I never saw such a 
crowd in Canada. The field, the trees, the side of the 
mountain, were covered with spectators, well-dressed, 
smart-looking people^ and all in the best of humors. 

There were about 3,000 troops, and the Governor- 
(General and his " brilliant Staff " rode down the ranks, 
stopping opposite to a company of United States Vol- 
unteers, who had come to take part in the proceedings, 
to make a little speech, welcoming them to Canada, 
etc. 

The feu de joie^ the march past, and a sham, battle 
followed. Everybody was delighted with everything, 
and what could you wish for more ? The horses ridden 
by the Staff and those in the carriages behaved admi- 
rably, though Gwen and I never could get up a perfect 
faith in ours, and were much alarmed by the bands, and 
the squibs, which were to be heard at intervals. 

We next hurried through a little lunch, and pro- 
ceeded to the Lacrosse ground. D. was there presented 
with an address and a ''crosse," and we saw two very 
pretty games. Then we rushed back to the hotel to 
drop D. for a great military banquet, which began at 
5.30. I dined at Gwen's house, and returned to the 
hotel to pick up the gentlemen on our way to the the- 
atre. The dinner not being over, we went up and 
peeped in. It was a very pretty sight, all the guests 
being in uniform. 

Saturday^ 2^th. — D. and I left Montreal at 9 a. m. and 
with Colonel Littleton and Dr. Grant returned to Ot- 
tawa. 

Ottmva : Saturday, June 1st. — I w^as " at home " to 
say " Good-by " ; and as the day was lovely we sat out 
on the grass. It was very hard to say " Good-by " to so 



T^iAY 1878 FAREWELL TO OTTAWA. 417 

many kind friends. I have two more of these farewells 
to go through. 

Sunday^ 2d. — We went to our little church for the 
last time, and in the afternoon D. and I drove with 
Nellie, Freddie, and Victoria to the Cemetery, to see 
the stone put up to J. P. Ward's memory. It is a small 
Irish cross. On our return we found Dr. Grant ; he 
can't bear to say " Good-by," and comes here nearly 
every day. 

Thursday, 6th. — We went into town, where an ad- 
dress was presented at the Town Hall. There was a 
large guard of honor and crowds of people. The 
building is a new one, with a fine hall, where we were 
received. 

The Mayor read the address, and when that and the 
answer were over we shook hands with all the people 
who liked to come up. Then we went out on the bal- 
cony, and an alarm of fire was sounded, that we might 
see the engines at work. 

D. then addressed the guard of honor (Governor- 
General's Foot Guards), and we drove away amidst loud 
cheers. We were shown a full-length picture of D., an 
excellent likeness, painted by order of the Government 
for the Parliament Buildings. 

I am sure I have told you before how much Fred is 
liked here, and what a popular A. D. C. he has been. 
AVell, as a proof of their appreciation of his unfailing 
kindness and courtesy during the last six years, his 
Canadian friends have presented him with a handsome 
silver tray, teapot, urn, cream-jug, etc. — quite an unpre- 
cedented honor ! 

Friday, yth. — Left Ottawa. We had to get up early 
and be at the boat by seven. It was trying ; first we 
had to say good-by to all the people about our house, 
and then at the wharf we found many friends. The 



41 8 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xx 

large guard of honor was drawn up on the top of the 
cliff, and at the water's edge were the friends. 

A number of young men — the bachelors — were wait- 
ing for me on board with a bouquet and silver holder ; 
then the ship began slowly to move away, and there 
were long cheers and waving of handkerchiefs till we 
were out of sight. Ottawa looked lovely as we left, 
and never shall we forget our happy six years here and 
our innumerable friends. 

We had to change at Grenville into a train, and there 
say a few more good-bys. After half an hour we got 
into another steamer, which took us to Montreal. At 
several of the small places we passed, crowds had col- 
lected to give us a parting cheer. At Montreal the 
steamer was full of people, all come to say good-by, 
and to see an address presented. This was from the 
Curlers, and with it was given a beautiful colored photo- 
graph, with a view of Montreal, and portraits of our- 
selves and many other people we know. It is an oil 
picture, and is a most charming remembrance. D. re- 
plied ; but in the middle of the ceremony the galleries 
began to creak, and the crowd had to get out of them 
quickly. 

Saturday^ 8th. — Up very early to see the children off 
to England. We breakfasted on board the Quebec 
steamer, and went in a tender to the Allan s. s. Scandi- 
navian. The Bishop and Mr. Dobell are on board, and 
it was a lovely day for starting ; but it was very sad see- 
ing all our flock go — and now we have half left Canada. 

Dufferin and I, Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Littleton, went 
on board the Druid, and are now on our way to Gaspe ; 
but we shall not be ourselves till we have slept upon all 
the partings of the last two days. It has been so de- 
lightful in Canada, and never again, I fear, can we hope 
to be surrounded by so many true and kind friends. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS AND LAST DAYS IN CANADA. 

Tuesday^ June nth. — Everything we do now seems to 
be impressed with that horrid word " last " ; here we are 
at Gaspe, for the last time, enjoying our last fishing, 
cruising for the last time in the old Druid^ and mentally 
saying " good-by " to many a pleasant thing which has 
become a habit to us during the past six years. 

We arrived early in the morning, and even before 
breakfast there was an evident excitement on deck, and 
I could hear through my skylight as I dressed "yarns" 
of the forty-pounder the Colonel had lost, and of the 
smaller fry he and Sir F. Graham * have killed. I elected 
to remain at home to-day, but Mrs. Littleton went with 
Mr. Reynolds to stay a few days with him, and to join 
her husband on the York. 

Fred and D. went to the lower pools of our river, 
which they can fish from the Druid. 

I am left in possession of " Tinker," Fred's devoted 
fox-terrier. No blandishments of mine affect him; he 
chooses to sit in sackcloth and ashes until his master's 
return ; he shivers in the ante-room, will not be warmed 
by my fire ; will not even eat the mutton-chop I present 
him with, and makes me feel rather small at my signal 
failure to gain his confidence. 

* The late Sir Frederick Graham of Netherby. 



420 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xxi 

Wednesday, 12th. — Rain all night, the river rising. 
And — as I tell the gentlemen to cheer them — there are 
fourteen hours to be spent in doing nothing ! I divide 
my day into hours of eating, working, reading, writing, 
and walking on deck. So I hope to answer all my let- 
ters, to braid Victoria an elaborate frock, and to be well 
read in the history of the AVar of Independence before I 
go to Boston. 

The afternoon was fine, and D. sketched, and some 
very important telegrams came. I had a cipher one to 
do, which took me two hours and a half, and that made 
a hole in the fourteen! There is a riot at Quebec; the 
soldiers out, the ringleader shot, and many people 
wounded. 

The Littletons arrived when we were at dinner, and 
we spent a pleasant evening hearing of their adventures, 
and playing whist. Sir Frederick remains with Mr. Rey- 
nolds. 

Thursday, 13th. — The steamer which was to take the 
Littletons away arrived unexpectedly at 5 a. m., and they 
had to pack and go off at once. 

D. and Fred went out fishing, and brought home only 
one salmon each; Fred's was a beauty, weighing 29 lbs. 

When D. came home he settled for us to go up to the 
bush, as the fish have left the lower part of the river. 
This was just arranged, when he got a telegram from 
Quebec asking him to have a British regiment sent 
there, so D. thinks he had better return at once. The 
fires are lighted, coal taken on board, and by two 
o'clock in the night we are off. Great will be the disap- 
pointment to the men we employ here when they come 
in the morning and find us gone. Before starting we 
sent off numbers of telegrams, and the clerk of the 
ofiice said his "head felt very bad." He seldom has so 
much work to do at quiet Gaspe. . 



JUNE 1878 QUEBEC. 421 

Friday^ 14th. — Such lovely weather, the sea like a 
glass, and covered with fishing boats. We stopped and 
bought over sixty cod, some of them very large, for two 
dollars. 

Saturday^ iSih- — At Father Point we received a tele- 
gram from Dent to say that all our rooms were filled 
with soldiers, beds on the floors, etc. We made up our 
minds to stay on the Druid. 

Sunday^ i6th. — We found on our arrival at Quebec 
this morning that most of the soldiers had left, so we 
went up there and found everything tidy again. There 
is still one regiment here, and the officers are filling the 
rooms we intended for Gwen. 

Dent had to provide for sixty officers — give them 
blankets, towels, etc. ; so I don't know what they 
would have done if she had not been here. She kept 
them in great order, too, and insisted upon their replac- 
ing a pillow which had come to grief in a bolstering 
match. 

We had an escort of cavalry to come up to the Cita- 
del with. Everything seems quiet for the present. 

Colonel Strange came to see us, and told us all about 
the riot. The day was muggy and wet, and in the night 
there was a severe thunderstorm. 

Monday, lyth. — D. was very busy all day, and in the 
evening we dined at the Lieutenant-Governor's. I sat 
between him and M. Joly, the Prime Minister ; and on 
the other side of him was a pleasant man. They talked 
a great deal, and were very amusing. It was a large 
dinner. We had the military chiefs who distinguished 
themselves in the riot, Sir Narcisse Belleau, Mr. Irvine, 
and several more of the political celebrities here. 

Wednesday, igth. — There was a review of the 8th 
Royals this morning on the Esplanade. It was fine and 
sunny, and the regiment gave great satisfaction to the 



422 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

military lookers-on. D. complimented them, and on 
their return to barracks they were disbanded. 

Thursday, 20th. — We had a very pleasant expedition 
to-day. Starting in the Druid about lunch-time, we 
went over to the Island of Orleans, where we drove in a 
carriage lent to us by a " Habitan." The views from 
the island are lovely. 

Friday, 21st. — We slept on board and started early in 
the morning, reaching St. John, a town at the other end 
of the island, by breakfast-time. We were not expected 
there, but the Druid was seen in the distance, and by the 
time we landed every cottage had hoisted a flag or a 
tablecloth, and people were at every door bowing and 
smiling. 

After oui drive round this end of this pretty island, 
we found more preparations had been made : two men 
had got themselves into red tunics, and seven or eight 
young ladies had guns, and fired an impromptu and 
amateur feu de joie. They also had bouquets ready for 
us, tied with white ribbon ; mine had written upon it 
'•'■ For Lady Dufferin, in remembrance of her visit to 
St. John." The cure said if he had only known before, 
we should have had all the country-people in to greet us. 

Quebec : Saturday, 22d. — At three o'clock we went to 
the House of Parliament, where addresses were pre- 
sented to D. on his approaching departure ; he replied, 
and both addresses were read in French and English. 
The room was very full, every one having come to see 
the ceremony. The speeches in Parliament upon the 
address were extremely flattering, and, coming from 
both sides of the House, are very gratifying. 

Sunday, 2jd. — We had some difficulty in arranging, 
our journey to Boston — to which city D. has been in- 
vited in order to receive a Doctor's degree from the 
University of Harvard — so as to arrive there on Mon- 



;#x5sS5;fi!SSigSSj^ggiSifl4^^S^ 




LADY DUFFERIN. 



JUNE 1878 BOSTON. 



42s 



day ; it would take twenty-four hours, and there were 
no trains on Sunday. We talked of going up to Mont- 
real in the Druid^ but as that would have cost the 
Government ;^ioo, we gave up the idea; and virtue was 
rewarded, for the mail steamer arriving, an express 
train had immediately to be sent off. So we finished our 
packing and went in that. D. and I had an excellent 
night in the train, and reached Montreal at six in the 
morning. 

Monday^ 24th. — We started again at nine on our way 
to Boston. 

The railway passes through a lovely country — rivers 
and mountains and fertile valleys — and we arrived at 
Boston late in the evening. We were met at the station 
by Mr. Winthrop, who had just been assisting at rather 
a melancholy dinner — a gathering of the survivors of 
his class at college fifty years ago ; the heavy hand of 
Time had of course committed fearful ravages in the 
half-century, and I only wonder anybody was able to 
dine at all. 

He drove us out to Uplands, which is about a quarter 
of an hour from Boston, in a suburb called Brookline.. 
Our host's family consists of Mrs. Winthrop, his daugh- 
ter, and an invalid daughter of Mrs. Winthrop's. We 
had tea, and were then glad to go to bed. 

Tuesday, 2^th. — Immediately after breakfast there 
were prayers in the hall, which is long and narrow, going 
right through the house, wnth a door at each end into 
the grounds. The walls are wooden, and covered with 
pictures ; there are tables, books, busts, and bronzes 
about, and it makes a very nice sitting-room. On one 
rjide is the dining-room, and on the other the drawing- 
room, and another small room. 

At eleven we went for a drive in the neighborhood; 
a very pretty neighborhood it is — villa after villa, sur- 
28 



424 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

rounded by plots of grass and gardens open to the 
road. Then we lunched, and then came what I call 
the American part of the day. I had had an idea of 
sitting out in the garden and of walking in the grounds ; 
but as I came out of the dining-room I was told that I 
must rest, and that dinner was at six. I was led there- 
fore up to my room, again reminded of the dinner-hour, 
and shut up there for the remainder of the day. Hav- 
ing a nice book, I reconciled myself to this un-English 
way of spending the afternoon. 

At dinner I sat between Mr. Winthrop and Mr. 
Longfellow, with Mr. Dana on the other side of him ; 
Wendell Homes and Mr. Parkman opposite ; the Gov- 
ernor of the State, the Chief Justice, Mrs. Amory, Mrs. 
Mason (formerly Sumner's wife), Mrs. Perkins, our- 
selves, and young Mrs. Winthrop, formed the party. 

In the evening there was a reception, and we saw a 
number of distinguished people. 

Wednesday, 26th. — This morning D. drove with an 
officer in a carriage-and-four to the State House, where 
he met the Governor, and at ten went with him, escorted 
by lancers, to the College (Harvard). 

We ladies did not leave the house till ten, and then 
went to Harvard, and took our seats in a handsome the- 
atre, immediately opposite to the platform, where all the 
University celebrities sat. 

There were nine orations ; after which the classes 
came up one by one, listened to some words in Latin 
from the President, and were handed a bundle of de- 
grees, which were re-distributed afterwards. When D. 
received his he was greatly cheered. We were allowed 
to peep into the fine hall, where the party (800) lunched ; 
D. was there, and had to make a little speech ; he did 
not get back till six. We went to Mrs. Eliot's (the wife 
of the President of Harvard), and had a ladies' lunch. 



JUNE 1878 A NEW EN-GLAND HOME. 425 

She is very pretty and nice, and I enjoyed it very much. 
I drove home with Mrs. Winthrop through a very fine 
cemetery filled with beautiful plants. 

Thursday, 2'jth. — I spent a very quiet day, taking a 
drive with Mrs. Winthrop in the afternoon. D. went to 
another lunch, with an " oration " before it. The 
speeches were not reported, but I hear his was very 
amusing and good. 

Friday, 28th. — D. and I went to breakfast with Long- 
fellow. He and his daughter, a Mr. Green, and our- 
selves, were the party. Longfellow was very pleasant 
and kind, and gave me at leaving a copy of "Keramos," 
in which he wrote my name. 

He told us of a letter he received from a lady, ask- 
ing for his autograph, and suggesting that he should 
copy her one verse of that lovely poem of his beginning 
" Break, break, break." 

We got back to Uplands at eleven, and soon after 
started on a very long drive to see Mr. Adams. He was 
Minister in London at the time of the War, and made 
many friends there. 

He lives in a charming old-fashioned house, which 
has been added to in every direction ; and a few years 
ago he built a library in the garden, which is a fine room, 
with something very quaint about it. There are box 
borders in the garden, and everything is old-fashioned 
and English-looking. 

Mr. Adams has five sons, all doing well; but the 
New Englanders seem to think that the money of the 
West will prevent the Eastern men from ever taking a 
prominent part in politics again. Mrs. Adams is a very 
nice person, and there was a very pretty daughter-in- 
law there too. We had luncheon with them. The 
drive is a beautiful one, and the day was warm and 
sunny. 



426 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

Mr. Parkman dined with the Winthrops, and had a 
long talk with D. Miss Motley is staying here. 

Saturday, 2pth. — We were up very early, as the train 
started at eight, and we had a long drive to Boston. 
The Winthrops and Miss Motley saw us off. They 
have been most kind, and our visit has been very pleas- 
ant 

Indeed I must say that wherever we have been in the 
States we have been most kindly received. Nothing can 
exceed the hospitality of Americans ; they seem as if 
they never could do enough for the comfort and enter- 
tainment of those who visit them in their own homes ; 
and D. and I have now had many opportunities of ap- 
preciating their kindness to strangers. 

The day was hot, and it seemed very long in the 
train — from 8 a. m. till 9 p. m. ; then a rush up to the 
hotel for tea, and then all night in the " cars." 

Sunday, jotk. — We reached Quebec early in the morn- 
ing, and came over to the Citadel. 

Monday, July ist. — A very hot day, upon which we 
did not do much till the evening, when we started in the 
Druid — Fred, D., and I — for Bic, where we take the 
train for Casaupscal, on the Metapediac River. 

Tuesday, 2d. — It was very pleasant sitting on deck 
till bed-time last night, with the prospect of a beautiful 
passage, but less delightful when we awoke this morn- 
ing, and recognized that easy roll produced by a swell, 
and heard that the wind was very strong, and that we 
were just going to anchor on account of the fog. 

This we did, and when I felt a little more accustomed 
to the motion, or when it was lessened by anchoring, I 
got up, and looked into the surrounding mist, wonder- 
ing when it would clear, and whether we should see land 
soon enough to get ashore, and catch the train any- 
where ; and what the Stephens' would think when they 



JULY 1878 DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE. 427 

went to the station and did not find us, they not know- 
ing that we had trusted to the sea at all; and what 
Gwen would imagine if she did not hear of us for three 
days (which is quite possible). But happily our "won- 
ders '' were cut short by the lifting of the fog, and we 
found ourselves between three shoals, and near Riviere 
du Loup. We landed at once with our baggage, sending 
our servants on first, had a long drive to the station, 
and near it met a very excited old Frenchman who told 
us that the train had just gone when our servant ar- 
rived, but that they had stopped it at the next station, 
and were going to send us on in a car and engine to pick 
it up. There is some use, you see, in being Governor- 
General. 

When we reached the train at Cacouna, Mr. Brydges, 
the chief of the line, came into our carriage, and we 
found that we had been keeping him waiting. As, how- 
ever, the train was originally an hour late, we only added 
a little to its delinquencies. 

Bic, where we were to have landed, is such a pretty 
place ; and, indeed, on our way to Casaupscal there are 
several lovely bits of scenery, though a great deal of the 
country looks desolate and dull. 

Mr. Brydges had his wife and family on board his 
own private car, and he and his friends walked about 
with hats upon which was written " Great Caesar's Ghost." 
We asked the meaning of this, and found that it is the 
name of a barge on which he lives in his river. He fishes 
in the Restigouche, a magnificent river which branches 
off from the Metapediac at a place called the Forks. 
Up this he is drawn in his barge, anchors it at the top, 
and makes excursions in boats, always returning to his 
yacht at night. 

We got to our destination about half-past eight, and 
found Mrs. Stephens, Mr. Douglas, and Sir Frederick 



428 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

Graham at the station to meet us. Mr. Stephens is, un- 
fortunately, away. 

This is much more civilized fishing than our river 
affords. The house itself is a very nice cottage. A 
railway runs along the banks of the river ; the station is 
close to the house; there is a telegraph, and there is 
nothing lonely about the life. The surroundings, too, 
are open : you look over distant hills and mountains, and 
have plenty of space round you, very different from our 
"bush." 

We had an excellent dinner, and afterwards sat round 
an iron pot full of fire, the fuel being supplied by Peter, 
a character of dwarfish height, who used to keep a light- 
house, but left it in disgust because his wife's master in- 
vited so many guests to see the lighthouse, and each one 
put his or her finger on the reflector, leaving a smudge, 
which Peter had to rub out. I can imagine how aggra- 
vating it must have become. Gwen had told me of this 
man, and warned me that he would always enter my bed- 
room without knocking; however, I think a lady has 
been told off to wait on me. 

Mrs. Stephens was much afraid we should be too hot 
in our bedroom, which is under the roof; but the even- 
ing cooled down considerably, and we found it luxurious ; 
also there are no flies, which is delightful. 

Wednesday^ jd. — We got up at seven, had a cup of 
tea and a bit of bread, and went out fishing. D. and I 
went together in a wooden canoe with a man called 
John Beshavi, a Gaspe fisherman. I worked away (Mr. 
Stephens being very anxious that I should catch a 
salmon) and D. flogged the water, and we tried "Alec's 
Elbow," another pool — but eleven o'clock came and not 
a rise had we had, so we w^ent home to breakfast, and 
found that every one else had been equally unlucky. 
It was too hot, or had been too hot (salmon are won- 



JULY 1878 ON THE METAPEDIAC. 429 

derful creatures for finding out reasons for not rising) ; 
but we were cheerful, and hoped for better sport in the 
evening. 

Breakfast was a great meal of porridge, smoked salm- 
on, bacon, eggs, tea and coffee ; and after it came a 
period of rest and idleness. I sat with Mrs. Stephens 
till about four, when the gentlemen went out again, and 
I took a walk with her. 

We went along the road to Alec's Elbow, where D. 
was fishing, and watched him for a long time. Then w^e 
walked back to the house, and he returned there too, 
and made me come and try my luck in a beautiful pool 
close to it ; but no ! not a fish to be seen. It was dinner- 
time, and D. was just taking " one cast more," when the 
joyful click of the reel was heard, and away rushed a 
salmon, jumping out of the water, and then taking 
another long run, so that D.'s line was nearly all out. 
We followed him as well as the very rough water would 
permit; but our long-expected victim dropped the fly 
out of his mouth, and left us feelmg very much " sold.' 
The fishing having been so bad all day, the whole house- 
hold were collected on the bank to watch the capture ! 

We dined well, in spite of our misfortunes, and spent 
the evening as usual. 

Thursday, 4th. — We have Mr. Brydges's private car 
on the line, and an engine whenever we w^ant to move 
about ; so we settled to make an expedition to see the 
river to-day. We started at 7.30, servants and luggage 
in our car, D. and I in one canoe, Sir Frederick in the 
other ; and we had a charming morning going down the 
river, fishing at every pool, but seeing no prey. 

At eleven we reached Assmaquaghan, where our car 
was "anchored," and in it we found a breakfast laid, and 
everything looking so comfortable. 

Then we^ ordered the engine to start, and had a really 



430 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

lovely " drive " to Campbelltown. The junction of the 
Metapediac and the Restigouche is quite beautiful, and 
all the way along the road the views are well worth com- 
ing to see. 

At Campbelltown D. and I walked down to the pier, 
and, sitting down there, enjoyed the views and the sea 
air till our engine had turned round, when we got " on 
board " again, and came back to our anchorage. 

When the sun was low, we resolved to give the salm- 
on another chance, but by dinner-time the only thing 
caught was a small grilse, which D. got just before din- 
ner, and which we ate at once. We have most comfort- 
able bedrooms in the car, where we slept after we had 
sat over a splendid camp fire outside. 

Friday^ ^th. — The morning fishing over, we set our 
engine going, and returned to Casaupscal in time for the 
eleven o'clock breakfast ; and very hungry we were for it. 
In the afternoon every one set to work again, and D. 
caught one 28-pound salmon, and Fred one 26. While 
we were away he got one 25 pounds, so he has been the 
luckiest of the party. 

After dinner no less than seven bonfires were lighted 
in our honor — six on the opposite bank of the river, and 
one nearer to us. They looked very bright in the dark 
night. 

Saturday, 6th. — Fishing unlucky — nothing done in 
the morning ; and at three we left in our special train, 
very sorry not to spend a few days more in this pleasant 
spot. 

In about two hours we got to Rimouski, where there 
w^ere a crowd and an address. We drove round the vil- 
lage, looked into a college and a convent, and returned 
to our car, where we refreshed ourselves with a cup of 
tea. The next station was Bic, and there we had another 
address, and walked through the village and down to the 



July 1878 CHICOUTIMI. 43 1 

quay, where we found our own boat waiting for us. Bic 
is quite lovely : the hills are of most curious and pictur- 
esque shapes, and I should think it a charming place to 
spend a summer in. We looked into a great cave, where 
a party of Indians were burned by their enemies long 
ago — exchanged greetings with Mrs. Archibald Camp- 
bell, whose children were firing a salute in our honor, 
and who has a very pretty cottage here, and then got on 
board with the cure, a M. Sylvain, and some other visit- 
ors, who went over the Druid, and then left us. We re- 
mained at anchor till twelve, and then set off for Ta- 
dousac. 

Monday, 8th. — We started up the Saguenay. At one 
we began to fish for trout, a^d by three had caught about 
seven dozen between us. In the evening, as we were 
anchored, we got a boat's crew to row round us, singing 
the Canadian boat-songs. 

Tuesday, pth. — Sir Frederick Graham and Fred left 
us at Chicoutimi (where we arrived early in the morn- 
ing), and went on an expedition after land-locked salm- 
on. They will camp out for three or four days. D., 
Gwen, and I went by steamer to Ha-Ha Bay, and there, 
getting into a buggy, drove to the A-Mas River. D. had 
capital sport here with two good salmon, and we enjoyed 
watching him, and looking at the salmon jumping up the 
leap. 

We returned to the Druid, dined, and sat on deck. 
In the night we started again, and arrived at Tadousac 
in the morning. 

Wednesday, loth. — Went over our empty house, took 
away our blankets, but left all our nice furniture, and 
shut it up — the last time, I suppose, we shall ever see the 
place. I hate these good-bys. 

Russell Stephenson came on board, and we started 
for Quebec. Unfortunately, the day was very wet and 



432 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

disagreeable ; but the rain will put out the bush fires, 
which are very bad just now at Three Rivers. The Mont- 
real boat actually had to turn back on account of the 
smoke. 

Thursday^ nth. — :Got to Quebec early, and came up 
to breakfast at the Citadel. I suppose we shall not 
again spend anight in the dear old Druid. In the even- 
ing we got a telegram from Sir E. Thornton (Washing- 
ton), to say that two thousand roughs had left Buffalo, 
and gone to Montreal to '' help " on the 12th. 

Fi'iday, 12th. — Great anxiety felt in the morning as 
to what would happen in Montreal. Three thousand 
troops are there, and the Mayor has two hundred special 
constables. * 

At eleven the General telegraphed, " There will be no 
procession " ; and the end of the whole thing was, that 
the Mayor found an old Act which declared the proces- 
sion illegal ; he seized the marshals as they came out of 
the Hall, and the rest of the people remained shut up 
the whole day, and in the evening were conveyed home 
in cabs. We hope this is the end of it. 

Su?iday, 14th. — Sir Frederick and Fred returned from 
a pleasant expedition, but unsuccessful fishing. They 
came back in a boat full of Americans— forty-seven of 
the Maine Press Association — and had great fun, as 
these people sang, and recited, and acted, and made 
speeches. They were all in church this morning, and 
we asked them to come up and see the Citadel and have 
tea. It was rather awful when they first arrived, as 
there was no one to introduce them, and they came in 
two and three together, all arm in arm. However, I cut 
it short by going and shaking hands with every one, 
though they evidently did not consider this an intro- 
duction, as all afternoon they kept re-introducing me 
one to the other. 



July 1878 QUEBEC. 433 

They said they were a large party, " all harmonious, 
all serene, all bent upon having a good time, all ac- 
quainted since childhood." We walked about the plat- 
form, and they were much pleased when they found they 
were admitted into the "inner circle," and that it was a 
private spot. They greatly appreciated our beautiful 
view, and were interested in all we showed them. Then 
we gave them tea and claret-cup, which they seemed to 
enjoy ; showed the Plains of Abraham, and then returned 
to the Citadel to say " Good-by." 

Forty-seven people shaking hands quickly, and all 
saying the same thing in a different form : '^ Thank you 
for delightful entertainment " ; " Most happy* to have 
seen you " ; " Such a lovely time " ; " Your hospitality " ; 
" The honor " ; "■ Hope to see you in the States " ; " Will 
never forget " ; " Never expected " ; " The feature of 
our tour," etc. I smiled almost too pleasantly over this 
ceremony. 

In the morning paper I see that " their Excellencies 
received the parties most graciously, and were quite as 
free from restraint as themselves." One man told 
Fred to give his love to his mother, and tell her she had 
a good son. 

There was one very funny little man who combed 
his hair in the drawing-room when he came in ; but I 
never could talk to him, as some one was always being 
introduced to me. 

Saturday^ 20th. — We were up early, and breakfasted 
at eight. Directly after we went down to see Sir F. 
Graham off to England. Colonel and Mrs. Littleton 
came down from Ottawa, and their children sail to-day. 
I was very sorry to say good-by to them, as it is an- 
other break-up of our life here. 

At twelve we had a combination of breakfast and 
luncheon, no one having eaten much this morning ; and 



434 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xxi 

afterwards we went over to the Camp, where we saw a 
little bit of a fox-hunt, and the gentlemen played lawn- 
tennis. 

The Littletons and Mr. Adams (son of the American 
Minister in London during the War), with a friend and a 
young Mr. Potter (son of an English M. P.), dined with 
us. Mrs. Littleton and I were left till 11.30 up-stairs 
alone, the gentlemen having got into politics down- 
stairs. 

■ Tuesday^ 2jd. — Mrs. Littleton, Gwen, Baby, and I 
drove out to Sillery, where the nuns received us most 
graciously, and then we went on to the Prices. They 
have a lovely place on the St. Lawrence, with some fine 
trees on the lawn and a good view of the river ; there are 
a nice old-fashioned house and flower-garden, and we 
had tea with strawberries and cream, and flowers to 
take home. D. rode there, and found a game of tennis 
going on when he arrived. 

Tuesday^ joth. — D. remains another month, at the re- 
quest of the Secretary of State. 

Wednesday, J 1st. — We made up our minds to go out 
for tea, so at four we drove off to Spencer Wood, where 
we sat on the grass and admired the view, and on leav- 
ing were presented by the gardener with three bouquets, 
one for each lady. The Littletons dined with us. 

The papers are full of •' Our New Governor-Gen- 
eral," and all are delighted at the idea of having a 
Royal Princess here. 

Monday, August ^th. — The Roman Catholic Bishops 
of the Province of Quebec, who had been assisting at 
the consecration of the Bishop, called. There were seven 
or eight of them, gorgeous in purple and gold. The 
new Bishop of Chicoutimi (Racine) was one of the 
nicest. 

We heard of the death of the Apostolic Delegate, Dr. 



AUG. 1878 ISLAND OF ORLEANS. 435 

Conroy, Bishop of Ardagh. He died in Newfoundland. 
I am very sorry, as he was always longing to get home, 
and never seemed to be happy over here. His old par- 
ents are alive, and will feel his death terribly. 

Tuesday^ 6th. — Sir Edward Thornton came to stay 
with us, and it rained — poured in tropical style. How- 
ever, when in the afternoon it changed to drizzle, we 
went out and showed the town to Sir Edward. At six 
we went on board the Druid, and dined there, as we 
were engaged to attend an amateur theatrical perform- 
ance on the Island of Orleans. The expedition would 
have been charming had the weather been fine, but of 
course the rain spoiled our pleasure in all the yachting 
part of it. We landed at eight o'clock, and drove up to 
what had been a carpenter's shop, but was now con- 
verted into a " Theatre Royal " ; the " green-room " was 
a tent, and the porch, in which the band stood, was made 
of tarpaulin. 

I rushed through this as one does when one is bun- 
dled up in waterproofs and is making for a shelter, and 
suddenly found myself, as I thought, upon the stage, in 
the presence of an audience. I quickly stepped back, 
and handed out my wraps, allowed the Governor-Gen- 
eral to precede me, and made a proper and formal en- 
trance. 

Then I found that it was the theatre I had entered, 
but that in front of the stage there were banks of flow- 
ers, two little arbors in the corners, and seven figures 
dressed in powder and Dolly Varden costumes. You 
can't think how pretty they looked. There were tables 
spread with refreshments in the arbors, and behind stood 
these Dresden figures ready to serve us ; and on stools 
in front were four children — two little girls in each cor- 
ner — also in costume. 

When we had stood for " God save the Queen," and 



436 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xxi 

had seated ourselves in the armchairs prepared, a Httle 
powdered, china-looking girl came and handed me a 
beautiful bouquet, and then another came with a painted 
programme, and between the scenes the grown-up China 
brought us ices, cake, and claret-cup. The room itself 
was hung with flags, or rather lined with flags. The 
play was " She Stoops to Conquer," and it went off 
very well. The Tony Lumpkin was admirable, and 
the prima donna was very handsome, and acted very 
well. She is a Mrs. Watson, and she had arranged 
the whole thing. The small figures got very sleepy and 
tired before the end ; but they added greatly to the 
general effect, and amused us a good deal by the natural 
way in which they admired their own finery, and ex- 
amined even the soles of their feet and their colored 
heels. 

We went to the hotel afterwards, where we were 
given supper ; so that by the time we got to the Citadel 
it was nearly two. 

Wednesday, 'jth. — Actually fine weather ! so at eleven 
we went on board the Druid, a party of fourteen, and 
sailed for the Montmorency Falls. They were full of 
water, and were looking lovely. W^e landed in boats, 
and our party divided when we got ashore. Some went 
one side of the Fall, some the other, and some sat down 
and sketched, I went to the left, and had a very fine 
view; but we got so wet with the spray that we soon 
had to move. The workmen there (lumbermen) would 
keep building me up substantial thrones in the very 
wettest places, and I felt obliged to try each one for a 
few minutes ; then we went off to see the saw-mills^ and 
were weighed there. About three o'clock, having thor- 
oughly enjoyed the sight of the beautiful Fall, we went 
on board again. A different but very acceptable sight 
was the deck, where luncheon was spread ; we were all 



AUG. 1878 CHA UDIERE FALLS. 437 

SO hungry. Our party consisted of ourselves and A. D. 
C.'s, the Littletons, Stephensons, Herveys, Judge and 
Miss Johnston, Colonel Montizambert, the Spanish Con- 
sul, and Sir E. Thornton. 

Thursday^ 8th. — Mrs. Littleton was offered the use of 
a steam-launch, so she came up early, and invited us all 
to go on an expedition with her, arranging that I should 
bring the tea, and that we should go and see the Chau- 
diere Falls. So after lunch we assembled at the dock 
— Sir E. Smyth and his son, the Littletons, ourselves, 
and M. Chauveau ; also the police-officer (it was the 
police-boat), who, it turned out, was really the host. 

We puffed along quickly, and just had one little 
fright, when the funnel tumbled down, and of course I 
thought the boiler was going to burst ; however, it was 
soon put up again, and we reached our destination in 
safety. 

We had to get out and cross the river (Chaudiere) 
in a scow ; but we found everybody ignorant as to how 
far off the waterfall was ; some one told us it was two 
miles, and we trudged off to walk there. People here 
are not fond of walking, so at the same time messengers 
were sent to look for buggies ; and very lucky this was, 
for when we had gone two miles in the rain, we asked at 
a cottage how far it was to the waterfall, and we were 
told '' three miles more." 

Four carriages soon overtook us, and D. drove me in 
a buggy, followed by all the others in various machines. 
We had one collision : going down a hill, the carriage 
behind us came too fast, and the horse's leg got over 
our wheel ; both animals being extremely quiet, no 
harm was done. The storm cleared away, and when we 
reached the Chaudiere the view was lovely. It is a most 
beautiful fall, and the shapes of the surrounding rocks, 
which jut out into the foam^ are most picturesque. We 



438 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL, ch. xxi 

had a great climb to reach the best point of view, but 
when we got there we sat directly opposite the Fall, on 
a promontory of rock, and were able to admire' thor- 
oughly the volumes of water and of spray, and the rain- 
bows which shone through them. D. made a sketch, and 
we sat idle and enjoyed ourselves till M. Chauveau 
called us to have the champagne with which he had re- 
placed my tea. 

We drove back to the scow, and crossed over to the 
launch, which took us to Quebec in thirty-five minutes. 
It was 8.30 when we got there, and by the evening we 
were all extremely tired. 

Monday^ 12th. — We started at one o'clock upon our 
tour in the Eastern Townships. 

After crossing the river in the steam-launch (steered 
by His Ex.), we landed at Port Levi, and were presented 
with bouquets on the way to our car. It is a Grand 
Trunk private car, and is very comfortable. Our first 
stop was at Danville, where we were received by a guard 
of honor and a crowed, and were led to a carriage. We 
got out at the Town Hall, had an address and a bouquet, 
and were introduced to a few people ; among them an 
old lady, who said my father's name had been a house- 
hold word in her family. 

We had a drive through the town, which was prettily 
decorated, and saw thousands of people who had come 
in from the country. 

On our way back to the station D. spoke to an old 
Peninsular War soldier, who exhorted him to " go and 
conquer Egypt," which, he said, "we must have." 

Having spent an hour at Danville, we got into our 
car again, and proceeded to Richmond. A platform had 
been erected here, and an address was presented, signed 
by eleven Mayors. After being introduced to some peo- 
ple, we had lunch in the station, and then drove about. 



AUG. 1878 SHERBROOKE. 430 

D. had four horses, but I drove with Lord Ayhiier (who 
is settled out here) with a pair. 

We visited a college, and saw the town. There was 
a very good band at the station, with a little boy of 
eight years old, in uniform, playing the cymbals with a 
most grave and preoccupied air. 

Sherbrooke was the station we reached next, and 
a most magnificent reception it gave us. It was dark 
when we arrived, and from the railway we saw large 
manufactories and hotels with lighted candles in every 
pane. 

When we stopped the Reception Committee came 
on board, and presented Mrs. Littleton and me with 
bouquets ; then we stepped on to a platform, and saw 
before us a fine guard of honor, a great crowd, a brill- 
iantly lighted building, and a quantity of torch-bearers 
in red uniform (the Fire Brigade). After the address 
and reply we started in a carriage-and-four, escorted by 
three or four hundred torches and a crowd (to say noth- 
ing of soldiers), to drive through the town. It was beau- 
tifully illuminated and decorated, and the reception was 
exceedingly gratifying to an almost defunct Governor- 
General ! I must trust to a newspaper to describe the 
arches, the lights, the various devices for decorating 
houses, the procession shooting up rockets in every di- 
rection, for I have not time to enter into particulars. 
But I must mention one arch dedicated to me, and made 
by ladies ; it had an enormous coronet of flowers, sur- 
mounting it, with " Welcome to our Countess " on one 
side, and " Kind hearts better than coronets " on the 
other. One arch was an imitation of a Gothic archway, 
and was very pretty. 

We drove, with the crowd and the torches surround- 
ing us, to Mr. Brooks's gate, where they left us. 

We are staying with Mr. and Mrs. Brooks. He is an 
29 



440 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xxi 

M. P., and she is a very handsome and pleasant woman ; 
they have a very nice house and pretty grounds. The 
house is new, and had not yet been papered ; but Mrs. 
Brooks has ornamented her walls in a very effective way 
by pinning dried ferns and leaves upon them. One large 
room with a polished floor had our monograms, portraits, 
quantities of flowers, and a welcome in rhyme on its 
walls. There is a beautiful view from the windows here. 
We had had supper, and went to bed soon after. 

Tuesday^ ijth. — The sun shone brilliantly at break- 
fast-time ; rain poured from ten till four, all the time we 
were out ; and then it was beautifully fine the rest of the 
evening. 

We drove into Sherbrooke early, and visited first a 
fine new bank, just built; we admired especially the 
burglar-proof safe, with a lock which, when set to a par- 
icular hour, can be opened by neither friend nor foe un- 
til that hour arrives. Next we visited the Fire Station, 
saw the stable-doors opened by machinery, and the horses 
step out^ and fall into their own places in the various 
fire engines. After this we went to a convent, where 
there were a little singing and an address ; and to a great 
wool manufactory, where we saw everything, from wool 
in its filthiest state to the same article converted into 
fine cloth. D. was presented with the material for a pair 
of trousers, and Mrs. Littleton and I were each given 
beautiful rugs. 

After seeing everything, D. made a speech to the 
operatives, and we proceeded to Lennoxville. In the vil- 
lage there were an address, a platform, and the usual 
etceteras, and at the College and School the same. It 
is one of the best English schools in Canada, but the 
boys were away for the holidays. Two rivers pass by it, 
and the country round is real country, and very pretty. 
We had about four miles to drive back to the house of 



AUG. 1878 THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. 441, 

Mr. Heniker, in Sherbrooke. It is situated on the banks 
of the Magog, and although only a villa it has a mag- 
nificent rapid and splendid rocks, and scenery which 
many a great English landholder would give his fortune 
to possess in his park. Mr. and Mrs. Heniker gave us 
lunch, and showed us the place. By this time I felt very 
damp. My petticoat was wet and muddy, and my very 
summery gown was out of place ; but it was nothing to 
our A. D. C.'s unlined suit of tussore silk. The trousers 
began to look very limp and sticky, and I laughed every 
time I looked at him. 

On our return to the Brookses we had to change quick- 
ly for a reception, which was held in the room with the 
motto. 

Happily it had become fine; a band played outside 
the windows, and a great number of people came. We 
sat about between the veranda and the rooms till we 
were all very cold, and then we had a little dance, three 
young ladies coming in. The daughter of the house, a 
nice, pretty girl, is not out yet. 

D. and the Colonel have to spend the night in the 
train. They meet Mr. Mackenzie* at Richmond, do 
business between the hours of twelve and two, and re- 
turn here for breakfast in the morning. 

Wednesday, 14th. — Bed-time. I seize a few minutes 
to try and describe the doings, of a very pleasant day. 
The weather was perfect, and we began the morning by 
being photographed in groups at the door of Mr. Brooks's 
house; then I planted a tree. 

We were to have left by train at ten o'clock, but the 
telegraph had broken down, and the necessary assurance 
that "the line is clear " could not be obtained. At last 
they managed in some roundabout way to get the mes- 

* The Premier. 



^42 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. CH. xxi 

sage, and we got off in time to fulfill our engagement to 
Mr. Murray. 

We went for about half an hour in the train to his 
house on Massiwippi Lake. He has only just built it, 
but already it is surrounded by lawns and flower-gar- 
dens, and has from its windows a beautiful view of the 
Lake. 

Mr. Murray introduced us to his wife and children, 
and we rowed about the Lake, and then returned as we 
came to Sherbrooke, enjoying immensely the view of the 
Lake and of the well-wooded country. 

We had about twenty minutes to rest at Mr. Brooks's 
house before we set off again to drive to Compton. D. 
and I and Fred Ward were in a very nice buggy, the 
others following in two more vehicles. We drove fifteen 
miles through such a lovely country. The townships 
really are beautiful : so rich looking, so undulating, and 
so well-wooded. 

At the village of Compton there were both English 
and French addresses, and D. replied to both. Mr. 
Cochrane met us with a drag and four horses. He 
lives two miles from the village, and has a wonderful 
farm. He is one of those people wlio get a thousand 
pounds for a calf, a hundred pounds for a pig, etc. 

The house and farm-buildings look so comfortable, 
and there is a nice conservatory, flower-garden, and 
tennis-ground in front of the house. We arrived about 
seven o'clock, and after being introduced to Mrs. 
Cochrane, went up to dress. There were eighteen peo- 
ple at dinner, and we sat out on the veranda after- 
wards, the grounds being illuminated with Chinese lan- 
terns. 

We have very comfortable rooms, and Mr. Cochrane 
has taken in our whole party. Mr. and Mrs, Brooks 
dined here, and we said good-by to them afterwards. 



AUG. 1878 STANSTEAD. 443 

They were extremely kind to us, and have entertained 
us most hospitably. 

Thursday, i^th. — We have been out all the morning 
examining prize cattle. First we inspected calves and 
bulls and pigs, and then we left the farm-yard and drove 
about the fields, looking at cows and Shetland ponies. 
There is a cow here called Tenth Duchess of Airdrie, 
which has made great sums of money. The views over 
the country are quite magnificent. I am glad we did 
not leave Canada without seeing this district. 

After lunch we drove fifteen miles in a drag to a 
village calleri Coaticook, where a great crowd had col- 
lected to meet us. It is a very prettily situated village, 
and was very flourishing before the hard times. After 
the addresses on an evergreen-ornamented platform, we 
walked to the Mayor's house, where we had a cup of 
tea before driving home. In the evening the neigh- 
bors drove over to be introduced, and we sat out on 
the veranda, and walked in the garden, which was 
lighted up. 

Friday, i6th. — Directly after breakfast, having said 
" Good-by " to Mrs. Cochrane, her children, and her 
married daughter (Mrs. Baines), we took our places be- 
hind the gallant four, and drove on and on through 
beautiful country, stopping once at Hatley — a nice little 
village, where we were received with the usual honors — 
to Stanstead. 

We sat under the shade of some trees just before we 
got there, and had a little lunch, and once we went 
a little out of our way to see a specially fine view. 
Mountains, wood, water, cultivation — everything that is 
wanted to make up a beautiful bit of scenery — yet none 
of the millionaires of this country ever seem to think of 
settling here. Mr. Colby, the member for Stanstead, met 
us, and drove before us into the town. At its entrance 



444 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

we found a large corps of firemen, some in blue, some in 
red, awaiting us, and the foremost presented D. with a 
harp made of water-lilies from the ladies of the place. 
Then the firemen and their band marched before us, and 
we kept slowly behind them, my team behaving admira- 
bly, considering all things. 

Suddenly we came upon a very fine villa, from which 
hung red and blue and white decorations; but we could 
scarcely look at them, for marching down the lawn with 
a sprightly step came four or five ladies dressed in the 
extreme of the fashion — splendid in silks of blue and 
olive-green, red and pink, etc., and waving^n each hand 
a pocket-handkerchief ; they were Americans, and came 
into the landscape of a quiet Canadian village most 
unexpectedly. 

Stanstead is just on the border, and these Americans 
live half the year in Canada and half in the States. We 
lunched with Mr. and Mrs. C. Pierce, and the beautiful 
ladies came over to his house here, and the Governor of 
Vermont (Mr. Fairbanks) met us. Mrs. Fairbanks had 
sent me a bouquet. They were five widows, all sisters 
or daughters of his. 

We hurried over lunch, as we had to go to a school, 
where there were two addresses. D. having replied, and 
having had a little joke, which was highly appreciated, 
over the American Protection laws, made the people 
cheer the President of the United States and the Gov- 
ernor of Vermont. 

We shook hands with a number of people afterwards, 
and then got into three buggies and drove twelve miles 
more to Georgeville, up and down mountains, to Lake 
Memphremagog, where Sir Hugh Allan's steamer met 
us; and in her we spent an hour and a half going to 
Magog, where I now am, and where we arrived about ten 
o'clock. We were drawn a mile up to the hotel by boys 



AUG. 1878 LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG. 445 

and soldiers, replied to two addresses, admired the illu- 
mination of every window, and were too much tired to 
eat the good food provided for us. 

We said " Good-by " to Mr. Cochrane at Stanstead. 
Our visit to him was extremely pleasant. 

Magog : Saturday^ lyt/i. — Our hotel is an ordinary 
country inn, and the view from the windows is not re- 
markably pretty, which is the fault of those who chose 
the sight, as they might have had very fine views. Sir 
Hugh Allan came for us at ten, and we steamed up the 
lake in his yacht, seeing all the beauties of Memphre- 
magog. 

The two ends of the lake are uninteresting, but there 
is a fine mountain in the center, called the Owl's Head, 
and some of the scenery about there is beautiful. Sir 
Hugh's own place is perfect ; it is almost on an island. 
The house is placed on the top of a high hill, and the 
smooth grass slope up to it is planted with single trees. 
The forests of wood on either side, the boat-house and 
bathing-house, the tennis-lawn, the billiard-room, the 
bowling-alley, the large veranda, all combine to make 
it look beautiful and pleasant ; while the views from it 
are splendid. 

When we got into the steamer again, we had a thun- 
derstorm, but reached Magog safely at 7.30. 

Sunday^ i8th. — Very showery and thundery, and a 
wretched day to spend in a country inn. We went to 
church, and were preached to by an American bishop. 

He, the Bishop of New Hampshire, came to see us 
at lunch-time, and in the afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Brooks 
appeared. 

They brought us the photographs taken of the group 
at their door, and of the arches at Sherbrooke — all very 
successful ; he also gave me some beautiful specimens 
of minerals for my Canadian collection. After dinner 



446 ^y CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

we spoke to some of the people staying in the hotel who 
had helped to decorate it for us. 

Monday, igth. — We left Magog by train for Bolton, 
where Mr. Huntington has a country place. The view 
from his house is quite lovely — a panorama of mountain 
scenery. It perhaps lacks a little water, for, although 
he has five lakes within three miles, one does not catch 
a glimpse of them from the windows. 

An address was presented by the neighbors, while a 
very smartly dressed band played to us. 

In the drawing-room was a very handsome decora- 
tion — the arms of England made in flowers. Mrs. Hunt- 
ington is very nice, and she had four American young 
ladies staying with her. We had a very pleasant lunch, 
and soon after continued our journey to Waterloo. 

It is wonderful what these small towns do to welcome 
us. We come to a place of 4,000 inhabitants, and find 
regiments turned out, bands, arch after arch, platforms 
erected, flags, and all the country collected to meet us. 
Waterloo really gave a very fine reception. The plat- 
form was well-made and convenient, and not only D. 
and I, but the whole Staff, were presented with bou- 
quets by little girls dressed in white. Then there were 
speeches, and such cheers ! The village has an English 
inhabitant, who prides himself upon his " Hurrah," and 
who led the applause. 

We drove round the town in a procession, and I am 
sure D. ought to have blushed as he read the mottoes 
on the arches ! Here are some of them : "Votresejour 
en Canada fournira une belle page dans notre histoire." 
'' Bienvenue la compagne de celui qui a conquis notre 
affection." '' To Canada's favorite Ruler." " Farewell 
to him who has won the hearts of all Canadians," "Fa- 
vorite of the people." "Canada's Pride." "II est la 
gloire du Canada." " Prudence, Energy, Charity." 



AUG. 1878 THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. ^^y 

"Eternal sunshine settle on his head." "He is a right 
good Fellah." Some of these come from other places. 

We dined and slept in our palatial car, and after sun- 
set went out to see the illuminations. D. drove round 
the town, but I sat on the platform and watched an 
enormous bonfire burning in the middle of the Square. 

Tuesday, 20th, we started for Granby. This is another 
very small place, where a wonderfully pretty reception 
was prepared. There is a fine Town-Hall, which was 
decorated with flowers. In front of the stage was a 
large harp of flowers, which we afterwards put up on 
the end of our train as we traveled about. D. made 
rather a long speech here in English, and a short one in 
French, and then we drove round the village and ad- 
mired its decorations. The arches were of very pretty 
shapes. 

At West Farnham we merely got out at the station — 
address, flags, cheers — and proceeded to Swestsborough, 
where we drove through another village called Cowans- 
ville. A heavy shower of rain was the only incident 
which made our visit there different from those at other 
places. 

D. generally has two replies to make, and always one. 
He speaks ex tempore, and people like that. 

St. John was our next point, and it was the end of 
our official tour. It gave us a splendid reception; its 
one handsome street was beautifully decorated, and 
every window was full of people, in addition to the 
crowd in the street. The address itself was a remark- 
ably pretty one. When D. had answered it both in 
French and English (it was read in both languages), we 
drove to visit a handsome Roman Catholic church, and 
an interesting china manufactory, where we were given 
specimens of the work. The girls read me an address and 
gave me a bouquet. We also saw the English Church 



448 MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

and the old barracks, and then got into our train, and 
started on a little holiday trip. 

We stopped at Plattsburg, which is in the States, and 
slept on board the Verinont^ a magnificent steamer, on 
Lake Champlain. 

Wednesday, 21st. — We awoke " at sea " on Lake Cham- 
plain, and after breakfast sat on deck and enjoyed the 
scenery. Ticonderoga is reached at one, and we im- 
mediately got into a train, which in twenty minutes dis- 
gorged its passengers on Lake George. 

This is a smaller and a very lovely lake too ; but I 
prefer Lake Champlain, as the mountains are more dis- 
tant than they are at Lake George, where the hills rise 
straight from the water. All along the Lake are little 
hotels, where we stopped and exchanged travelers. At 
the end of the Lake we came to our destination. Fort 
Henry. As soon as the steamer touched there was a 
rush : the men on board tore away, and raced towards 
the house. They had gone to secure the outside places 
on a number of coaches which stood there, and were all 
going on to Glen Falls and Saratoga. 

We took a quiet drive in a carriage, conducted by a 
coachman who has held his office for four years, but 
who is now only twelve years old, and very small. We 
dined at the hotel. Such dresses ! and such hats to be 
seen ! But we were most amused — in a melancholy way 
— by the children. They were dressed out with the 
shortest of petticoats, the most magnificent silk and 
musUn and lace dresses, the best of colored silk stock- 
ings, and boots with large bows to match ; such curls, 
and fans, and bracelets ! and, above all, such airs, and 
such consciousness of deserving admiration ! The way 
they came into the large dining-room by themselves, 
and often sat alone at a table, the girls looking twenty 
and the boys rather naughty and undisciplined. This 



AUG. 1878 LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 449 

young generation living its hotel-life, with no duties, 
and no object but dressing itself and being admired, is a 
startling phenomenon. 

We came in for a very good concert which Marie 
Roze, of the Italian Opera, happened to be giving to- 
night. 

Thursday, 22d. — Left the hotel early, and came down 
Lake George again, and on to Ticonderoga, where we 
visited the old Fort before going on board the Vermo7it 
again. 

We had another pleasant journey down Lake Cham- 
plain, and got on to our car, in which we proceeded on 
our way to Montreal. There I found my English letters, 
for which I have been pining all the week. So ended 
our last Canadian " official " tour. 

Saturday, 24th. — I received letters which oblige me 
to return home at once. It is a great disappointment to 
me to have to leave D. and Gwen, and it made us all 
very miserable. 

Ffiday, joth. — We went down to the Druid to say 
good-by to the men, and to present the Captain with a 
telescope. 

The improvements which D. suggested should be 
made at Quebec, with a view to preserving its old walls 
and gates, its picturesque appearance, and its ancient 
character, have been begun, and the *' Dufferin Terrace" 
promises to become one of the loveliest w^alks in the 
world. 

Saturday, jist. — A final good-by to Quebec, and to 
my happy Canadian life ; and good-by also, for a time, 
to D. and Gwen. The B Battery turned out to accom- 
pany me, and to fire a salute for me, and after the ship 
left the wharf they all cheered from the Citadel. Num- 
bers of people came down to the steamer, though it was 
early in the morning that I left. 



.450 ^^ CANADIAN JOURNAL. ch. xxi 

In one of his farewell speeches in Canada D. said : 
" During a period of six years I have mingled with your 
society, taken part in your sports and pastimes, inter- 
ested myself in your affairs and business, become one of 
you in thought and feeling, and never have I received 
at your hands, whether in my public or in my private 
capacity, anything but the kindest consideration, the 
most indulgent sympathy, and the warmest welcome." 
This being so truly the case, no wonder that although 
the day itself was lovely, it was one of the most miser- 
able I ever spent. 



After I left, D. received a deputation, consisting of the chief 
officers of all the municipalities of Ontario, who came to Quebec 
to present him with a joint address. The ceremony took place 
on the platform at the Citadel, and the deputations arrived, pre- 
ceded by three Highland pipers dressed in the tartans of their 
respective clans. In his reply to them he spoke much of the 
Princess Louise and Lord Lome, and said that, with regard to 
the latter, he only knew of one fault — " of one congential defect 
which attached to his appointment as Governor-General of 
Canada— he was not an Irishman." Several other addresses 
were presented to D., and he was made a Doctor of the Laval 
University. 

Later he went to Toronto to open a provincial exhibition, and 
whilst there he visited institutions and made a number of speeches. 
It was at this time that he suggested in a letter to the Governor 
of New York State that the Governments of Canada and of the 
United States should join together to create an International Park 
at Niagara ; that the troublesome touts and squatters, with their 
hideous shanties and wooden huts, should begot rid of; and that 
" the locality should be restored to its pristine condition of wild 
and secluded beauty." This project has since been carried out, 
and the islands in the Niagara River have been called after 
him. 



1878 LAST DAYS. 45 1 

Before D. finally left Canada there was a change of Ministry, 
and Mr. Mackenzie, who had been in power for over four years, 
having resigned, the departing Governor-General swore in Sir 
John Macdonald on October 17th, at Montreal. 

The last public act D. performed in Canada was to lay the 
foundation-stone of the Dufferin Terrace, and on October 19th 
he sailed from Quebec, receiving at the wharf a final address 
from the citizens and residents of Quebec. 



70 



55 



50 



4^S 



35 






..^ 



** 



oNTi 



80 




N"E"vV "V"0 7^ K n A'PPl .F.TON S- C^' 



INDEX 



Alaska, 287. 
Alert Bay, 290. 
"Alexander Camp," 183. 
Alkali Plains, 263, 266, 317. 
Allendale, 172. 
A-Mas River, 431. 
Andrew's (St.), 355, 369- 
Anne (St.), Falls at, 168. 
Anthony (St.), Falls, 340. 
" Artemisian Desert," 263. 
Assiniboine River, 346, 347. 
Assmaquaghan, 429. 

Baker, Mount, 275. 

Baltimore, 223. 

Barrie, 172. 

Bedford Basin, 106. 

Belleville, 212. 

Bergeron, 12. 

Berlin, 198. 

Bersimis, 89. 

Bic, 426, 430. 

Birch River, 378. 

Bolton, 446. 

Boniface (St.), 349. 

Boston, 224, 423 ; Bunker's Hill, 224 ; 
Harvard College, 224, 422 ; Dor- 
chester Heights, 225 ; Uplands, 

425- 
Bar, 298. 
Bow Park, 202. 
Bowman ville, 210, 
Bracebridge, 176. 
Brantford, 202, 199. 
Breton, Cape, 104. 
Brockville, 214. 
Bruce's Mines, 179. 
Buckingham, 245, 247. 



Buffalo, 41. 
Burlington, 260. 
Burrard's Inlet, 292, 
Bute Inlet, 281. 

Cache Creek, 305. 
Cacouna, 10, 427. 
California, 268. 
Campbelltown, 430. 
Cap Rouge, 36. 
Cariboo, 305. 
Carleton Place, 215. 
Casaupscal, 426, 427. 
Catherine's (St.), 205. 
Chaleur, Bay of, 99. 
Champlain, Lake, 448, 449. 
Charlotte Town, loi. 
Chatham, 100, 194. 
Chaudiere Falls, 6, 30, 153, 437. 

River, 437. 
Cheyenne, 262, 321. 
Chicago, 189, 259, 316, 398. 
Chicoutimi, 166, 431. 
Clair (St.) River, 195, 323, 398. 
Coaticook, 443. 
Coburg, 210, 258. 
Colfax, 267, 317. 
Collingwood, 178. 
Compton, 442. 
Couch iching Lake, 173, 174. 
Cowansville, 447. 

Dalhousie Bay, 99. 
Danville, 438. 
Dartmouth, 105, 114. 
River, 94 ; " Lady's Steps " rapids, 
95- 
Dawson, route, 370. 



454 



MY CANADIAN JOURNAL. 



Dean's Corner, 205. 
Denver, 321. 
Detroit, 194, 398. 
Devil's Gap, 179. 
Slide, 264. 

Echo Canon, 264. 
Emerson, 345. 
Esquimault, 273, 279. 
Eternity Cliff, 165. 
Etienne (St.), 13. 
Evanston, 263. 

Father Point, 236. 
Fisher's Landing, 342, 398. 
Flattery, Cape, 273. 
Fort Alexander, 378. 

Garry, 346, 395. 

Henry, 448. 

Huron, 196. 

Simpson, 284. 

William, 185. 
Eraser River, 294, 296, 306. 
Fredericton, 120. 
Fremont, 261, 
Fundy, Bay of, 115. 

Gait, 199. 

Garden River, 180. 

Gaspe, 93, 156, 164, 250, 419. 

Gatineau River, 144 ; rapids, 144, 

152 ; saw-mills, 152. 
George, Lake, 448, 449. 
George ville, 444. 
Georgian Bay, 279. 
Gimla, 382, 386. 
Godbout River, 87. 
Goderich, 197. 
Granby, 447. 
Grand Falls, 121. 

Forks, 39S, 

Island, 261. 
Gravenhurst, 175, 
Green Mountains, 226. 
Grenville, 418. 
Guelph, 199, 



Gut of Canso, 103. 

Haha Bay, 165, 431. 

Halifax, 105. 

Hamilton, 37. 

Harrisburg, 199. 

Hastings, 211. 

Hatley, 443. 

Hell's Gate, 298. 

High Bluffs, 394. 

Hochelaga, 66. 

Hope, 296. 

Horn, Cape, rounding, 267. 

Houses, 394. 

*' Hudson's Bay settlements," 91, 180, 

384 ; Fort, 180. 
Huron, Lake, 187, 195, 

Indian Reserve, 2oc^, 358 ; Mohawk 

Church, 200. 
Ingersoll, 203. 
International Park, 450. 
Irvington, 221. 

Jacques Cartier River, 27. 
John (St.), 115, 158, 422, 447- 

River, 95, 119, 120. 
Joseph (St.), Lake, 24. 
Joseph, Lake, 176. 

Kamanistiqwa River, 186. 

Kamloops, 303 ; ' ' Pow-wow " at, 303. 

Keewatin, 371. 

Killarney, 178. 

Kingston, 7, 171, 203, 398. 

Lachine Rapids, 7, 95. 

Lake of the Woods, 372. 

Laprairie, 7. 

Lawrence (St. ), 3, 20, 156, 168, 434. 

Lennoxville, 440. 

Lievre (Le), River, 245 ; rapids, 245. 

Fall, 246. 
" Little Stone Fort," 356. 
London, 42, 43, 204 ; " Victoria 
Park," 204, 



INDEX. 



455 



Louis (St.), 322. 
Louisburg, 103. 
Lytton, 299, 305. 

Mackinaw, 187. 
Magog, 444, 445. 

River, 441. 
Manitoba, 396. 

Lake, 390. 
Manitoulin, 179. 
Marguerite River, i6 ; rapids, 16 ; 

salmon fishing, 18. 
Maritime Provinces, 117. 
Massiwippi, Lake, 442. 
McNab's Island, 108, iii. 
"Meech's Lake," 154. 
Memphremagog, Lake, 444 ; Owl's 

Head, 445. 
Mennonite settlement, 360. 
Metapediac River, 426, 427. 
Metlacatlah, 283, 287. 
Michigan, Lake, 187, 188, 259, 338. 
Michipicoten Island, 180. 
Miller's Landing, 251. 
Mingan River, 96. 
Minneapolis, 339. 
Minnehaha Falls, 340 ; Fort, 340. 
Minnesota River, 340. 
Miramichi River, lOO. 
Mississippi River, 260, 323, 340, 341. 
Missouri River, 260, 322, 323. 
Mitchell, 197. 

Montmorency Falls, 8, 123, 436. 
Montreal, 8, 59, 81, 226, 241, 323, 

324, 402, 405, 415. 
Mount Royal Park, 4o5 ; banquet, 

406. 
Murray Bay, 167. 

River, 168. 
Muskoka Bay, 175. 

Lake, 175, 

Nanaimo, 280; coal-mine, 280. 
Napanee, 213. 
"Narrows," the, 173, 252. 
New Edinburgh, 49. 
30 



New Liverpool, 30. 

Muskoka Grant, 176. 

Westminster, 294, 306. 

York, 217, 221. 
Newcastle, 100. 
Newmarket, 172. 
Niagara, 39, 205. 

Nipigon, 180 ; River, 181 ; rapids, 
183; "portages,'' 183. 

Lake, 183. 
Northwest Angle, 372. 
Northwest Arm, 106. 

Oaklands, 267. 
Ogden, 265, 317, 320. 

Caiion, 265. 
Omaha, 260. 

Ontario, Lake, 37, 171, 208. 
Orange Valley, 221. 
Orillia, 173. 

Orleans, Island of, 422, 435. 
Ottawa, 4, 47, 83, 149, 215, 230, 231, 

256, 3251 332, 397, 402. 
Owen Sound, 178. 

Paris, 203. 

Parry Sound, 177. 

Paspediac, 99. 

Paul (St.), 341, 343, 398. 

Pembina, 344 ; Fort, 344. 

Perce, 97, 98. 

" Petrolia " oil-wells, 42. 

Philadelphia, 323, 333. 

Pictou, 103. 

Platte River, 261. 

Valley, 261. 
Plattsburg, 448. 
Point Levi, 438. 
Port Hope, 210. 
Portage La Prairie, 393. 
Prescott, 5, 83, 178, 237, 258, 333. 
Presqu'ile, 178. 
Preston, 199. 
Prince Arthur's Landing, 184. 

Edward's Island, 81, loo ; coal- 
mines, 103. 



45^ 



MY CAN A DIA N JO URN A L. 



Quebec, 2, 29, 36, 59, 80, 123, 156, 
233, 235, 248, 410, 418, 421, 449. 
Queen Charlotte's Islands, 288. 

Rama, 174- 

Red Lake River, 343- 

River, 342, 346, 356, 387, 395- 
Restigouche River, 427, 430. 
Rice Lake, 211. 
Richmond, 438. 
Rideau Falls, 244. 

River, 244. 
Rimouski, 430. 

Riviere du Loup, 5, 9, 18, 122, 427. 
RockviTood Penitentiary, 354. 
Rocky Mountains, 261, 262. 

Plains, 262. 
Rousseau, 177. 

Lake, 176. 

Safety Harbor, 282. 

Saguenay River, 12, 15, 165, 337, 431. 

Salt Lake, 265, 317. 

City, 265, 317. 
San Francisco, 268, 310, 312, 316. 
Sarnia, 195, 196, 259. 
Saskatch2wan, 381 ; Grand Rapids, 

381. 
Sault Ste. Marie, 179, 187. 
Savemagh's Ferrj', 305. 
Selkirk, 357. 
Sevarn, 175- 
Seymour Narrows, 292. 
Shebandowan, 185. 

Lake, 18 3. 
Sherbrooke, 439, 441. 
Sherman, 263. 
Shoal Lake, 390. 
Sillery, 33, 299, 434. 
Silver Islet, 184. 
Simcoe, 205. 
Lake, 172. 
Smith's Falls, 215. 
Spencer Wood, 2, 434. 
Stanstead, 443. 
Stone Fort, 379, 386. 



Stratford, 197. 
Superior, Lake, 184. 
Swestsborough, 447. 
Sydney, 104. 

Tadousac, 11, 14, 86, 122, 164, 255, 

336, 431. 
Tarry town, 221. 
Thomas (St.), 204. 
Thompson River, 300, 305. 
Thousand Islands, The, 214. 

Mile Tree, 264, 
Three Rivers, 432. 
Thunder Bay, 184, 187. 

Cape, 184. 
Ticonderoga, 448, 449. 
Toronto, 37, 42-44^ 46, 47) 171. 208, 

323) 324, 327) 398, 450- 
Tribune Harbor, 280, 292. 
Trinity Cliff, 165. 
Trois Rivieres, 170. 

Uintah Range, 264. 

Vancouver Island, 273. 
Victoria, 273, 284, 289, 296. 

Washago, 175. 
Washington, 222. 
Waterford, 205. 
I Waterloo, 446. 
I Welland, 205 ; Canal, 206. 
W^est Farnham, 447. 
Whitby, 209 ; " Trafalgar Castle," 

210. 
Windsor, 195. 

Winnipeg, 345- 346, 348, 353 ; -il^er 
Heights, 359, 365. 395. 
Lake, 381. 

River, 368, 373; " portages," 374 ; 
" White Dog Mission," 375 ; rap- 
ids, 374, 376 ; the Fall, 374- 
Woodstock, 42, 121, 203. 

Yale, 296, 306. 
York River, 157, 251. 



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The interest excited in the first Napoleon and his Court by the " Memoirs 
of Madame de Remusat" has indjced the publishers to issue the famous 
''Memoirs of the Duchess d'Abrantes," which have hitherto appeared in a 
costly octavo edition, in a much cheaper form, and in a style to correspond 
with De Remusat. This work will be likely now to be read with awakened 
mterest, especially as it presents a much more favorable portrait of the great 
Corsican than that limned by Madame de Remusat, and supplies many valu- 
able and interesting details respecting the Court and Family of Napoleon, 
which are found in no other work. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 

^HE STORY OF MY HOUSE. By George H. 
Ellw ANGER, author of " The Garden's Story." With an 
Original Etching by Sidney L. Smith. Also many Head and 
Tail Pieces. i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

Even a more delightful book than " The Garden's Story." Though 
seemingly devoted to the house proper, the essays are filled with the 
freshness of country life and the beauty of external nature. 



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'HE GARDEN'S STORY; or. Pleasures and 
Trials of an Amateur Gardener By George H. Ellwanger. 
With Head and Tail Pieces by Rhead. i2mo. Cloth, extra, 
$1.50. 

" Mr. Ellwanger's instinct rarely errs in matters of taste. He writes out of the 
fullness of experimental knowledge, but his knowledge differs from that of many a 
trained cultivator in that his skill in garden practice is guided by a refilled aesthetic 
sensibility, and his appreciation of what is beautiful in nature is healthy, hearty, and 
catholic. His record of the garden year, as we have said, begins with the earliest 
violet, and it follows the season through until the witch-hazel is blossoming on the 
border of the wintry woods. . . . This little book can not fail \o give pleasure to all 
who take a genuine interest in rural life. " — The Tribitne, New York. 



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HE FOLK-LORE OF PLANTS. By T. F. Tms- 
ELTON Dyer, M. A. i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" A handsome and deeply interesting volume. ... In all respects the book is ex- 
cellent. Its arrangement is simple and intelligible, its style bright and alluring. 
. . To all who seek an introduction to one of the most attractive branches of folk- 
lore, this delightful volume may be warmly commended."— A^^/^j and Queries. 

pLOWERS AND THEIR PEDIGREES. By 
JL Grant Allen, author of " Vignettes of Nature," etc. Illus- 
trated. i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" No writer treats scientific subjects with so much ease and charm of style as Mr. 
Grant Allen. 

" The study is a delightful one, and the book is fascinating to any one who has 
either love for flowers or curiosity about them." — Hartford Courant. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 

ROM FLAG TO FLAG. A Woman's Adventures 
and Experiences in the South during the Wary in Mexico, and 
in Cuba. By Eliza McHatton-Ripley. i2ino. Cloth, $i.oo. 

The author of this book was the wife of a planter in Louisiana, and underwent some 
remarkable experiences in the first part of the war ; later in Mexico, many vicissitudes 
befell her; and of her life in Cuba, still later, she has a striking and unusual story to tell. 

" In a word, the book is an account of personal adventures which would be called 
extraordinary did not one remember that the civil war must have brought similar ones 
to many. Her hardships are endured with the rarest pluck and good humor, and 
her shifty way of meeting difficulties seems almost to point to a Yankee strain in her 
blood." — The Nation. 



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HE HISTORY OF A SLAVE. By H. H. John- 
STON, author of "The Kilimanjaro Expedition, etc. With 47 
full-page Illustrations, engraved fac-simile from the author's 
Drawings. Large i2mo. Paper cover, 50 cents. 

" 'The History of a Slave' is a work of fiction based upon every-day occurrences 
in the Dark Continent, and well calculated to bring home to the reader the social 
condition of heathen and Mohammedan Africa, and the horrors of a domestic slave- 
trade." — The AtheuceujH. 



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HE MEMOIRS OF AN ARABIAN PRIN- 
CESS. By Emily Ruete, nee Princess of Oman and Zanzibar. 
Translated from the German. i2mo. Cloth, 75 cents. 

The author of this amusing autobiography is half-sister to the late Sultan of Zanzi- 
bar, who some years ago married a German merchant and settled at Hamburg. 

"A remarkably interesting little volume. . . . As a picture of Oriental court life, 
and manners and customs in the Orient, by one who is to the manor born, the book is 
prolific in entertainment and edification." — Boston Gazette. 

(SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE. By the late Admiral 
^-^ HoBART Pasha. With a Portrait. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; 
cloth, $1.00. 

" The sailor is nearly always an adventurous and enterprising variety of the human 
species, and Hobart Pasha was about as fine an example as one could wish to see. . . 
The sketches of South American life are full of interest. The sport, the inevitable 
entanglements of susceptible middies with beautiful Spanish girls and the sometimes 
disastrous consequences, the duels, attempts at assassination, and other adventures and 
amusements, are described writh much spirit. . . . The sketches abound in interestihg 
details of the American war." — London Athe7iceuin. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 

A New Book by the author of "A Social Departure." 



A 



N AMERICAN GIRL IN LONDON. By Sara 
Jeannette Duncan. With 80 Illustrations by F. H. Town- 
send. i2mo. Paper, 75 cents ; cloth, $1.50. 



A brilliant book, picturing- English sights, society, customs, and amuse- 
ments, as seen by an unconventional and witty observer. The same quali- 
ties which made "A Social Departure" so remarkable a success will make 
"An American Girl in London " a book which is " talked about everywhere." 

"In the lighter literature of last year there was nothing more amusing than 'A. 
Social Departure,' by Sara Jeannette Duncan, of Canada. It was just long enough — 
it could not well have been longer — but each reader wished that the author might write 
another book in similar btyle. Well, she has done it, and she could not have taken a 
better subject than 'An American Girl in London.' " — New York Herald, 

"The raclness and breeziness which made 'A Social Departure,' by the same au- 
thor, last season, the best-read and most talked-of book of travel for many a year, 
permeates the new book, and appears between the lines of every page. It is super- 
fluous to say that 'An American Girl' is 'awfully fetching.' " — Broo/<lyn Standard- 
Union, 



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SOCIAL DEPARTURE: How Orthodocia and I 
Went Round the World by Ourselves. By Sara Jeannette 
Duncan. Illustrated by F. H. Town send. i2mo. Paper, 75 
cents ; cloth, $1.75. 
"It is a cheery, ivitty, decorous, charming hook." — New York Herald, 

" Widely read and praised on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific, the diary is 
now republished in New York, with scores of illustrations which fit the text exactly 
and show the mind of artist and writer in unison." — New York Evening Post. 

"... It is to be doubted whether another book can be found so thoroughly amus- 
ing from beginning to end." — Boston Daily Advertiser. 

"A very bright book on a very entertaining subject. We commend it to those 
readers who abhor the ordinary statistical book of travels." — Boston Evening Tran- 
script. 

"A brighter, merrier, more entirely charming book would be, indeed, difficult to 
find." — St. Louis Republican. 

" For sparkling wit, irresistibly contagious fun, keen observation, absolutely poetic 
appreciation of natural beauty, and vivid descriptiveness, it has no recent rival." — 
Mrs. P. T. Barnum's Letter to the New York Tribune. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



HE HOUSEHOLD BOOK OF POETRY. 

Edited by Charles A, Dana. Entirely new edition, from 
new type, with nearly two hundred additional poems. Steel 
Engravings. Square 8vo. Cloth, gilt, $5.00 ; morocco an- 
tique, $10.00 ; tree calf, $12.00. 

" Every intelligent reader and student of poetry has of course his own favorites, but 
we are safe in saying that no popular anthology is so well calculated as this to gratify 
and instruct the general public, or to provide for the genuine lover of verse so much 
that is good and worthy of preservation." — Boston Traveller. 

" Mr. Dana has added nearly two hundred poems to his well-arranged collection, 
including many short poems by authors who have not published volumes. The col- 
lection now includes eleven hundred and seventy-five selections from three hundred 
and seventy -seven authors, eighty-five of whom are Americans and fifty-two women. 
This edition gives a list of authors, a list of the poems, and an index of first lines, and 
is printed with new type." — New York World. 

"The book deservedly keeps the lead in popular favor which it took at the 
start." — New York Times, 



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IFTY PERFECT POEMS. A Collection of Fifty 
Acknowledged Masterpieces, by English and American Poets, 
selected and edited by Charles A Dana and Rossiter 
Johnson. With Seventy Original Illustrations from Drawings 
by Alfred Fredericks, Frank Millet, Will Low, T. W. Dewing, 
W. T. Smedley, F. O. C. Darley, Swain Gifford, Harry Fenn, 
Appleton Brown, William Sartain, Arthur Quartley, J. D. 
Woodward, Walter Satterlee, S. G. McCutcheon, and J. E. 
Kelley. The illustrations are printed on Japanese silk paper, 
and mounted on the page. The volume is bound in silk ; white, 
blue, or maroon. Large 8vo. $10.00, 

"The judgment of the editors has not been constrained by the general popularity 
of a poem. Happily, their verdict and that of the public often agree." — Cmcinnati 
Commercial Gazette. 

" . . . As to the binding, it is rich watered silk, printed in gold, a delight to the 
eye. 'Fifty Perfect Poems ' is certainly the most notable gift-book of the season." 
— Philadelphia Press. 

" An unusually handsome presentation volume." — Chicago Tribzine. 

".A feature of the volume which will commend it to book fanciers is its superb 
workmanship and adornment. It has seventy designs, exquisite gems set in the 
stream of verse which flows through the broad immaculate pages. They are remark- 
ably impressive in effect, terse and refined in expression, and in their peculiar setting 
seem like veritable windows opening upon the outer world from the illuminated 
chambers of the poet's imagination. We have never seen a series of pictures more 
nicely adjusted in their tone to the music they accompany than are these. _ Whoever 
has had the direction of this work, deserves credit for the best piece of artistic book- 
making ever done in this country. — New York Home JoTirnal. 



New York: D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



£W EDITION OF 

ENGLISH ODES. Selected 
by Edmund W. Gosse. With 
Frontispiece on India paper 
from a design by Hamo Thor- 
NYCROFT, A. R. A. Forty-two 
Head and Tail Pieces from 
Original Drawings by Louis 
Rhead. i6mo. Cloth, special 
design in gold, $1.50. Same, 
in parchment, $1.75. 

EW EDITION OF ENGLISH LYRICS. Uni- 
form with '* English Odes." With nearly Eighty 
Head and Tail Pieces from Original Drawings 
by Louis Rhead. i6mo. Cloth, special 
design in gold, $1.50. Same, in ^7r^\ 

parchment, $1.75- 




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HE MUSIC SERIES. 

Consisting of Biographical 
and Anecdotical Sketches 
of the Great German Com- 
posers ; The Great Italian 
and French Composers ; 
Great Singers ; Great Vio- 
linists and Pianists. Five 
volumes, i8mo. Bound in 
half white and red sides, 
$3.50 per set ; half calf, 
S8.00. 




Y^HE HOUSEHOLD BOOK OF POETRY. By 

•*■ Charles A. Dana. Entirely new edition, from new stereo- 
type plates, enlarged and brought down to the present time. 
With nearly Two Hundred additional poems. Illustrated with 
Steel Engravings. Royal 8vo. Cloth, gilt extra, $5.00 ; half 
calf, $8.00 ; morocco, antique, $10.00 ; tree calf, $12.00. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3. & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



Recent Issues in Appletons' Town and Country Library. 

'J^HR NUGENTS OF CARRICONNA. An Irish 

J- Story. By Tighe Hopkins. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, 

75 cents. 

" An extremely racy Irish story, quite separated from everything that savors of the 
present agitation in Ireland, and one of the best things of the kind for several years." 
— Springfield Republican. 



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SENSITIVE PLANT. A novel by E. and D. Ge- 
rard, joint authors of " Reata," " The Waters of Hercules," 
etc. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, 75 cents. 

" An agreeable and amusing love-story, the scene of which is part of the time in a 
coal-mining district in Scotland, and afterward in Venice, and a prominent character 
in which is a shrinking girl whose sensitiveness is suggestive of the little mimosa flower 
which gives title to the book." — Ciucinnali Times-Star. 



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ON A LUZ. By Don Juan Valera. Translated by Mrs. 
Mary J. Serrano. i2nio. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. 

"A triumph of skillful execution as well as of profound conception of modem 
Spanish character and social life. It is full of the best traditions of Spanish thought, 
both sacred and secular, of Spanish proverbial wisdom, and of the humor of Cervantes 
and other lights of the past in the literature of Spain." — Brooklyn Eagle. 

DEPITA XIMENEZ. By Don Juan Valera. Trans- 
J- lated by Mrs. Mary J. Serrano. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; 

cloth, $1.00. 
"A very striking and powerful novel." — Boston Transcript. 

" 'One of the jewels of literary Spain' is what a Spanish critic has pronounced the 
most popular book of recent years in that language, Don Juan Valtra's novel ' Pepita 
Ximenez.' " — 7'Ae Nation. 



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HE PRIMES AND THEIR NEIGHBORS. 

Ten Tales of Middle Georgia. By Richard Malcolm 
Johnston, author of "Widow Guthrie." i2mo. Paper, 50 
cents ; cloth, $1.25. 
"The best of Southern tales." — Chicago Herald. 

"The thorough excellence of Col. Johnston's work is well known. He was among 
the first of the successful short-story writers of this country. The steady increase in 
his fame is the best indication of the solid appreciation of the reading public. This 
public will give the new volume the same reception that made ' Widow Guthrie' one of 
the most successful of recent novels." — Baltimore American. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 

Recent Issues in Appletons' Town and Country Library. 

'HE IRON GAME. By Henry F. Keenan, author of 

" Trajan," " The Aliens," etc. i2nio. Paper, 50 cents ; 

cloth, $1.00. 

"An entertaining romance which covers the tinie from just before the war until soon 
after the peace. Six young people carry on their love-making under countless diffi- 
culties, owing to two of them being on the wrong side of the ' unpleasantness.' Of 
course, there are all sorts of adventures, plots, misunderstandings, and wonderful 
escapes. . . . The book is written in excellent taste." — Pittsburgh Bulletin. 

^TORIES OF OLD NEW SPAIN. By Thomas A. 
^^ Janvier. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. 

"The author does for the Mexicans much what Longfellow has done for the 
Acadians." — New York Co7nmercial Advertise): 

" Mr, Janvier has evidently explored the ancient ruins and studied the old church 
tecords thoroughly, and has drawn therefrom much hitherto unused material." — Cin- 
xifinati Times-Star. 

"Another lot of those tales of Mexico, which their author, Thomas A Janvier, 
^nows how to write with such skill and charm. Nine of the stoiies are delightful, and 
line is the number of stories in the book." — New York Sun. 

'J^HE MAID OF HONOR. By the Hon. Lewis Wing- 
•*■ FIELD. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, 75 cents. 

" A story of France just before, during, and after the Reign of Terror. There are 
not many novels in our language which portray rural conditions in France in this 
troubled period, and this has a unique interest for that reason." — Chicago Tifues. 

" A very graphic story of those troublous times which witnessed the temporary 
triumphs of ' the people.' " — Rochester Herald. 

" It may safely be said that up to the last page . . . the reader's attention is not 
allowed to flag." — London Athenceum. 



I 



N THE HEART OF THE STORM. By Max- 

WELL Grey, author of " The Silence of Dean Maitland." 

i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, 75 cents. 

" The plot is compact, deftly constructed, free from extravagances and violent im- 
probabilities, with a well-managed element of suspense running nearly to the end, and 
strongly illustrative throughout of English life and character. The book is likely to 
add materially to the author's well-earned repute." — Chicago Times. 

CONSEQ UENCES. By Egerton Castle. i2mo. Paper, 
50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. 

" It is a real pleasure to welcome a new novelist who shows both promise and per- 
formance. . . . The work is distinguished by verve, by close and wide observation of 
the ways and cities of many man, by touches of a reflection which is neither shallow 
nor charged with the trappings and suits of weightiness ; and in many ways, not least 
in the striking end, it is decidedly original." — Saturday Review. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 
GOOD BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS. 

yUST PUBLISHED. 

J/f/'E ALL. A story of out-door life and adventure 
^^ in Arkansas. By Octave Thanet. With 12 full-page Illus- 
trations by E. J. Austen and others. 

" A story which every boy will read with unalloyed pleasure. . . . The adventures 
of the two cousins are full of exciting interest, pariicularly the account of the hog-hunt, 
which carries one breathlessly along by its moving, spirited, and truthful pictures. The 
characters, both white and black, are sketched directly from nanire, for the author is 
thoroughly familiar with the customs and habits of the different types of Southerners 
that she has so effectively repro_uced." — Boston Saturday Evening Gazette. 

ITTLE SMOKE. A story of the Sioux Indians. 
By William O. Stoddard. With 12 full-page Illustrations by 
F. S. Dellenbaugh, portraits of Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and 
other chiefs, and 72 head and tail pieces representing the 
various implements and surroundings of Indian life. 
Previously published in same Series, 

ROWDED OUT a CRO FIELD. By William 
O. Stoddard. The story of a country boy who fought his way 
to success in the great metropolis. With 23 Illustrations by 
C. T. Hill. 

"There are few \vriters who know how to meet the tastes and needs of boys better 
than does WiJliam O. Stoddard. This excellent story is interesting, thoroughly whole- 
some, and teaches boys to be men, not prigs or Indian hunters. If our boys would 
read more such books, and less of the blood-and-thunder order, it would be rare good 
fortune." — Detroit Free Press. 



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ING TOM AND THE R UNA WA YS. By Louis 
Pendleton. The experiences of two boys in the forests of 
Georgia. With six Illustrations by E. W. Kemble. 
"The doings of 'King' Tom, Albert, and the happy-go-lucky boy Jim on the 
swamp-island, are as entertaining in their way as the old sagas embodied in Scandi- 
navian story." — Philadelphia Ledger: 

^HE LOG SCHOOL-HOUSE ON THE CO- 
-* LUMBIA. By Hezekiah Butterworth. With 13 full- 
page Illustrations by J. Carter Beard, E. J. Austen, and 
others. 
i " This book will charm all who turn its pages. There are few books of popular 
nformaion concerning the pioneers of the great Northwest, and this one is worthy of 
sincere praise." — Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 



The above are bound uniformly, in cloth, with special design in silver. 
8vo. $1.50 each. 

New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



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D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 
YOUNG HEROES OF OUR NAVY. 

JUST PUBLISHED. 

IK^IDSHIPMAN PA ULDING. A true story of the 

Jrj[ War of 1812. By Molly Elliot Seawell, author of " Little 

Jarvis." With Six full-page Illustrations by J. O. Davidson 

and George Wharton Edwards. 8vo. Bound in blue cloth, 

with special design in gold and colors. $i.co. 

"The book gives an excellent description of the battle of Lake Champlain. told in 
such interesting style, and so well blended with personal adventuie, that every boy will 
delight to read it, and will unavoidably remember its mam tcatuies."~^/>rzh£-yie/d 
Union. 

"The story is told in a breezy, pleasant style that can not fail to capture the fancy 
of young readers, and imparts much historical knowledge at the same time, while the 
illustrations will help the understanding of the events described. It is an excellent 
book for boys, and even the girls will be interested in it." — Brooklyti Standard-Union. 

NEW EDITION. 

ITTLE JARVIS. The story of the heroic mid- 
shipman of the frigate "Constellation." By Molly Elliot 
Seawell. With Six full-page Illustrations by J. O. David- 
son and George Wharton Edw^ards. 8vo. Bound uni- 
formly with " Midshipman Paulding." $1.00. 

"Founded on a true incident in our naval history. . . . So well pictured as to 
bring both smiles and tears upon the faces that are bent over the volume. It is in ex- 
actly the spirit for a boy's book." — New York Hotne Jourral. 

" T.ittle Jarvis was a manly, jolly little midshipman on board the good ship 'Con- 
stellation,' in the year 1800; so full of pranks that he spent most of his time in the 
cross-trees and lived prepared for this inevitable fate, with a book in one pocket and a 
piece of hard- tack in the other. . . . His boyish ambition was to smell powder in a real 
battle, to meet and conquer a live French man-of-war. It would be unfair to the reader 
to tell how Little Jarvis conducted himself when at length the ' Constellation ' grappled 
with the frigate 'Vengeance' in deadly zovcHo^A." —Providence Journal. 

"The author makes the tale strongly and simply pathetic, and has given the world 
what will make it better." — Hartford Courant. 

"Not since Dr. Edward Everett Hale's clas?ic, 'The Man without a Country,' 
has there been published a more stirring lesson in patriotism." — Boston Beacon. 

" It is what a boy would call 'a real boy's book.' "—Charleston News and Courier. 

"This is the story which received the prize of five hundred dollars offered by 
the Youth's Companion. It was worthy the distinction accorded it." — Philadelphia 
Telegraph. 

" It is well to multiply such books, that we may awaken in the youth that read 
them the spirit of devotion to duty of which Little Jarvis is a type. We shall some 
day have need of it all." — Army and Navy Journal. 

"Any one in search of a thoroup^hly good book for boys need look no further, for 
this ranks among the very best." — Milwaukee Sentinel. 



New York: D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



^TRAIGHT ON. A story of a 
V— ' boy's school-life in. France. By 
the author of " The Story of Co- 
lette." With eighty-six Illustra- 
tions by Edouard Zier. 320 pages. 
i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

Few books have appeared in recent years 
which appeal so strongly to the better senti- 
ments of young people as does ' ' Straight 
On." It is a deeply interesting novel of the 
experiences of a French officer's son, who, 
being left an orphan at an early age, resided 
with relatives while attending a military 
school for a term of years. The ups and 
^^""" downs of his life in the new home and at 

school, adopting his father's last words— 
which give the book its title— for his watchword, make an absorbing narra- 
tive, culminating in an act of heroism which delights the reader while it clears 
up a mystery in which many cadets have been involved. The story is charm- 
ingly told and appropriately illustrated. 




ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF "COLETTE." 

"Y^HE STORY OF COLETTE. A new, large-paper 

J- edition. With thirty-six Illustrations. 8vo. Cloth, $1.50. 

The great popularity which this book has attained in its smaller form has 
led the pubHshers to issue an illustrated edition, with thirty-six original 
drawings by Jean Claude, both vignette and full-page. 

" This is a capital translation of a charming ncvel. It is bright, witty, fresh, and 
humorous. 'The Story of Colette ' is a fine example of what a French novel can be, 
and all should be." — Charleston News and' Courier. 

"To the fretful stay-at-home, to the tired mind, to the wearied attention of busy 
men when rest comes with the evening, and to the vexed and careful housewife, this 
bright tale will be received as a gift from the sky, full of pleasant images, quaint figures, 
and piquant thoughts." — Chicago Tribune. 

"Colette is French and the story is French, and both are exceedingly pretty. The 
story is as pure and refreshing as the innocent yet sighing gayety of Colette's life." — 
Providence Journal. 

" A charming little story, molded on the simplest lines, thoroughly pure, and ad- 
m'rably constructed. It is told with a wonderful lightness and raciness. It is full of 
little skillful touches such as French literary art at its best knows so well how to pro- 
duce It is characterized by a knowledge of hi'.man nature and a mastery of style and 
method which indica te that it is the work rather of a master than of a novice. , . • . Who- 
ever the author of ' Colette ' may be, there can be no question that it is one of the pret- 
tiest, most artistic, and in every way charming stories that French fiction has been 
honored with for a long time." — New York Tribune. 



New York : D. APPLETOX & CO., 1, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



RECENT FICTION. 
"^HE FAITH DOCTOR. By Edward Eggleston, 

author of "The Hoosier Schoolmaster," "The Circuit Rider," 

etc. i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" Dr. Eggleston has made a distinct advance in his literary work in ' The Faith 
Doctor,' the latest novel from his pen. Dr. Eggleston's writing is really American in 
its character, without makingmuch parade or profession on this point ; but he has taken 
a new phase of American life in this book, and has treated it very ably, besides 
evincing an increase of literary skill." — Boston Herald. 



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NE REASON WHY. By Beatrice Whitby, au- 
thor of " The Awakening of Mary Fenwick," *' Part of the 
Property," etc. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. 

" It is not often that the first novel of an author is such a pronounced success as is 
*lhe Awakening of Mary Fenwick.' " — Christian Union. 

" • Part of the Property ' is a thoroughly good book. ... It is refreshing to read a 
novel in which there is not a trace of slipshod work." — London Spectator. 



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MERCIFUL DIVORCE. By F. W. Maude. 
i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $i.oo. 

" There have been few more searching studies of the rampant English plutocracy 
than is afforded by this brilliantly written volume" — Boston Beacon. 

" The book is curiously interesting from the startling side-light it throws on English 
society of the upper grades." — Chicago Times. 



o 



¥E WOMAN'S WAY. By Edmund Pendleton, 

author of " A Conventional Bohemian," " A Virginia Inherit- 
ance," etc. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. 

"The author is a Virginian who has written some interesting stories, and who 
steadily improves upon himself. . . . This is a thoughtful, semi-philosophical story. 
There is much discussion in it, but none of it is prosy." — N'ew York Herald. 

"In this genuinely interesting novel the author depicts one of the most charming 
characters to be found in the vast range of woman's realm. . . . The close is artistically 
devised and shows a deep observation. Mr. Pendleton has a brilliant future before hira 
in his chosen path" — St. Louis Republic. 



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HE THREE MISS KINGS. By Ada Cam- 
bridge, author of " My Guardian." i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; 
cloth, 75 cents. 

" May unreservedly be recommended as one of the choice stories of the season, 
bright, refined, graceful, thoughtful, and interesting from the first to the final page." — 
Boston Literary World. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. 



Specimen Portrait. 
(Reduced.) 



^HE SOVEREIGNS AND 

-/ COURTS OF EUROPE. The 
Home and Court Life and Character- 
istics of the Reigning Families. By 
"POLITIKOS." With many Portraits. 
i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

"A remarkably able book. . . . A great deal of the 
inner history of Europe is to be found in the v.ork, and it 
is illustrated by admirable portiaits." — The Athenceuni. 

"Its chief merit is that it gives a new view of several ^ 
sovereigns. . . . The anonymous author seems to have 
sources of Information that are not open to the foreign 
correspondents who generally try to convey the impres- 
sion that they are on terms of intimacy with royalty." — 
Sa7i Francisco Chronicle. 

" The anonymous author of these sketches of the 
reigning sovereigns of Europe appears to have gathered a good deal of curious infor- 
mation about their private lives, manners, and customs, and has certainly in several 
instances had access to unusual sources. The result is a volume which furnishes views 
of the kings and queens-concerned, far fuller and more intimate than can be found 
elsewhere."— iV^^w i'ork Tributie. 

"Gives one a discriminating insight into the lives and characters of the reigning 
kings, queens, and princes. . . . The reader gets a good idea of them as men and women, 
apart from their unique and unenviable positions in society." — St. Louis Republic. 

"Rarely is so much information to be found condensed in so small a volume." — 
Baltitnore A 7nerican. 

"A most entertaining volume which is evidently the work of a singularly well-in- , 

formed writer. The vivid descriptions of the home and court life of the various royalties / 
convey exactly the knowledge of character and the means of a personal estimate which / 
wi.l be valued by intelligent readers." — Toronto Mail. 

. A book that would give the.t«JlJr," the "*" ^ 




THE KING OF GREECE. 



Specimen Portrait. (Reduced.) 




THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. 

(Frotn a recent photograph.^ 



whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so far as 
such comprehensive accuracy is possible), about 
these exalted personages, so often heard about 
but so seldom seen by ordinary' mortals, was a 
desideratum, and this book seems well fitted to 
satisfy the demand. The author is a well-known 
writer on questions indicated by his pseudonym." 
— Montreal Gazette. 

" A series of essays and sketches of the 
crowned heads which sum up the characteristics 
of royalty, and give the salient features of the 
life and nature of individual rulers with an in- 
telligence and considerable weight." — Hartford 
Courafit. 

" A very handy book of reference." — Boston 
Transcript. 

" The historical statements are correct, and 
the royal personages are treated with discrimina- 
tion. The anecdotes are numerous and well 
chosen. The author's reading must have been 
wide, and his comprehension of the present 
political condition of Europe is excellent." — 
Literary World. 



New York : D. APPLETON & CO., i, 3, & 5 Bond Street. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 298 742 4 



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